Three pastors were talking about prayer as a telephone repairman was working in the room. One pastor said that the key to effective prayer was in the hands. He always held his hands together and pointed them upward as a symbol of worship.
The second pastor suggested that real prayer was conducted on the knees.
The third pastor suggested that they both had it wrong. The only position worth anything was to pray while stretched out flat on your face.
By this time, the telephone repairman couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. He interjected, “I found that the most powerful prayer I ever prayed was while I was dangling upside down by my heels from a power pole, suspended 40 feet above the ground” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p.418).
Do you know? I think that telephone repairman had it right! In times of trial, when people are desperate, that’s when they pray their most powerful prayers.
Today, we come to the end of our series from the book of James on passing the tests of life. James told us in the introduction to his book (James 1:1-8) to persevere and pray when we meet trials of various kinds. Now, in the conclusion to his book (James 5:7-20), he tells us something very similar: be patient and pray in those times of persecution and pain.
Last week, we saw what it meant to be patient in your pain: don’t lose your cool; don’t complain; and don’t quit.
Today, we’re going to see how to pray with power in the midst of our trials. So, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to James 5, James 5, where the Bible tells us how to pray with “great power”.
James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. (ESV)
Don’t just come to God when there’s an emergency. Come to God at all times – in times of suffering, to be sure! But also in times of sufficiency. If you want to pray with great power, then…
PRAY CONSTANTLY.
Pray all the time. Come to God not only when you’re hurting; come to Him when you’re happy, as well.
In his book on Prayer, Tim Keller describes mining in Norway years ago. He writes:
Demolition to create mine shafts took two basic kinds of actions. There were long periods of time when the deep holes were being bored with great effort into the hard rock. To bore the holes deeply enough into the most strategic spots for removing the main body of rock was work that took patience, steadiness, and a great deal of skill. Once the holes were finished, however, the “shot” was inserted and connected to a fuse. To light the fuse and fire the shot was not only easy but also very interesting… One sees “results” … Shots resound, and pieces fly in every direction. (Tim Keller, Prayer, Dutton, 2014, page 137; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s the way it is with prayer. There are the “shot” prayers where you see great results. You pray, “Lord, please intervene,” and POW! Mountains are moved! But those kinds of prayer could never happen without the long periods of time boring into the rock of your relationship with God.
If you want to pray with great power, you need to have a personal relationship with the Almighty God through faith in Jesus Christ, His Son. Then you need to cultivate that relationship through constant communion with Him.
When things are going well, thank and praise Him. When things are not going so well, ask for His help. The Bible says, “In EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
Pray about everything. Pray your way through the day, for the delight of answered prayer comes from the discipline of constant prayer. If you want to pray with great power, then pray constantly. 2nd, if you want to pray with great power, then…
PRAY CONFIDENTLY.
You who have faith, ask God to deliver those who are struggling with their faith, trusting Him to grant your request. Or as James puts it right here in the next few verses, pray “the prayer of faith.”
James 5:14-15 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (ESV)
Years ago, I was asked to pray for a lady who was in the hospital dying of cancer. Some well-meaning “friends” had come to visit her, and they read to her the verses I just read to you. Then they prayed for her and anointed her with oil, but nothing happened. She was never healed. In fact, the cancer spread, and she grew sicker by the day. Her so-called “friends” accused her of a lack of faith, and stopped visiting her. The lady was devastated!
Is that a right use of these verses? Of course not! So let’s unpack these verses to see what they really say.
Verse 14 tells the “sick” to call for the elders of the church. I find it very interesting that James tells the “sick” not to call on the Lord, but to call on those who are mature in the faith. That’s because the “sick” person here is weak in his or her faith. His struggles have caused him to doubt God, and He no longer has the confidence to pray with any kind of faith that believes God really cares for him.
The Greek word for “sick” literally means “to be weak”, or “to be without strength or powerless.” Now, the word can refer to a physical weakness, or a physical sickness, as it does primarily in the Gospels and Acts. But the word often refers to a spiritual weakness, especially in the books of the Bible, which come after the book of Acts.
Romans 4 and 14 speak of those who have a “weak faith.” 1 Corinthians 8 talks about those who have a “weak conscience.” And 2 Corinthians 11 describes a person as “weak”, who is easily led into sin. It’s the same word translated “sick” here in James 5:14.
So how do we know whether the word speaks of a physical weakness or a spiritual weakness? Well, the context gives us the answer, and the context is very clear here in James 5. Verse 15 talks about one who has “committed sins”. Verse 16 talks about “confessing your sins.” And verses 19 & 20 talk about “bringing back a sinner from his wandering”.
In chapter 1, James warned us about the trials on the outside becoming temptations on the inside, so here in the conclusion of the book, he addresses the one who is about ready to give into temptation or has already done so.
He is weak in his faith, but he is not without hope. Why? Because he can call for those who are mature in their faith – the elders of the church – and through their prayers find deliverance from his weakness. That’s exactly what verse 15 says.
The elders’ “prayer of faith will save the one who is weak!” God will hear their prayer and deliver the weak believer from his struggle against sin.
Dear friend, if you are struggling with sin in the midst of your pain, please call for help. I don’t care if it’s a drinking problem, a drug problem, or a porn addiction. Maybe you’re wrestling with bitterness and anger, worry and anxiety, or depression. Whatever the struggle, we’re here for you.
Just call for the elders, and we’ll surround you with people who will pray for you and care for you. We will not judge you. We’ll just pray “the prayer of faith”, trusting God to deliver you from your struggle against sin in the midst of your trial. If your faith is weak, let those of us who have a stronger faith go to God on your behalf.
We’ll not only pray for you, but we’ll also encourage and refresh you. That’s what the “anointing with oil” is all about in verse 14. In Bible days, oil was a common form of refreshment and grooming. Today, we take a hot shower. Then, they poured oil over their heads to freshen themselves up after walking the dusty streets all day in the hot, desert sun. Often, the host at a dinner party would pour oil on the heads of his guests as they arrived to refresh them after their long journey.
And that’s exactly what the elders are doing here in James 5:14. They not only pray for the weak and weary believer. They do something very practical to refresh and encourage him. In the context of the First Century, they pour oil on his head.
It’s a vital part of “the prayer of faith.” It goes beyond saying words to God; it expresses itself in works. The prayer of faith is practicing what you pray. It is being a part of the answer to your own prayer.
When you ask God to encourage and refresh a discouraged believer, you do what you can to encourage and refresh that believer. Now, in this day and age, he may not appreciate a bottle of oil poured over his head, but he might appreciate a hug and some of your time. She might appreciate a meal brought over to her house all cooked and ready to eat. Or she might appreciate a bouquet of flowers to brighten her day.
James 2:15-16 says, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
That means the prayer of faith is more than words; it expresses itself in works. George Mueller once said, “The most important part of prayer is the fifteen minutes after we say ‘Amen’. That’s the time we decide what we’re going to do after we have prayed.”
Leslie Weatherhead, in one of his early books, wrote about a girl who was very troubled by the fact that her older brother trapped rabbits. She begged him many times to stop, but all her pleading was in vain.
Then one night her mother heard her praying, “Dear God, please stop Tommy from trapping rabbits. Please don't let them get trapped. They can't. They won't! Amen.”
Her mother, somewhat perplexed, asked her, “Darling, how can you be so sure that God won't let the rabbits be trapped?”
The child simply replied: “Because I jumped on the traps and sprung them!” (Carroll E. Simcox, The Christian Century, March 4, 1987, and Christianity Today, Vol. 31, no. 11; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s the prayer of faith, my friends. If you want to pray with great power, then 1st, pray constantly; 2nd, pray confidently; and 3rd…
PRAY CORPORATELY.
Come to God together in your trial, and pray not so much for yourself, but for one another.
Verse 16 “Therefore” – in light of the deliverance that comes when you call for the elders to pray in times of spiritual weakness –
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (ESV)
There’s power when God’s people get together to pray! If you’re struggling, please don’t isolate yourself. When you’re wrestling with sin, that’s not the time to stay away from church; that’s the time to get close to the church.
If you’re weak in faith today, get together with God’s people and borrow from those who are strong in faith. Then not only will YOU benefit, the whole church will benefit, as well. The “YOU” in verse 16 is plural. James is talking about healing for the whole church, not just the individuals who are struggling. In other words, all of us are encouraged as we see God work miracles in your life, and you are strengthened through the process, as well.
But in order for that to happen, we need to be open and honest with each other; we need to admit our struggles, rather than try to hide them. Or as James puts it here, we need to confess our sins to one another.
In his book Stories for the Journey, William R. White tells the story of Hans, a European seminary professor devastated by the death of his wife, Enid. Hans was so overcome with sorrow that he lost his appetite and didn't want to leave the house.
Out of concern, the seminary president, along with three other professors, paid Hans a visit. The grieving professor confessed that he was struggling with doubt. “I am no longer able to pray to God,” he admitted to his colleagues. “In fact, I am not certain I believe in God anymore.”
After a moment of silence, the seminary president said, “Then we will believe for you. We will pray for you.” The four men continued to meet daily for prayer, asking God to restore the gift of faith to their friend. Some months later, as the four friends gathered for prayer with Hans, Hans smiled and said, “It is no longer necessary for you to pray FOR me. Today I would like you to pray WITH me.” (John Koessler, Blessed Are Those Who Mourn, www.PreachingToday.com)
His weak faith was strengthened, and all four of them were encouraged! Mind you, it didn’t happen overnight. It took months, but the healing finally came! And that’s what happens when we admit our struggles to one another. Your own faith is strengthened, and the whole church benefits!
Our church has gone through a rough year or two with the loss of some very dear friends. On top of that, people we love have experienced some very serious illnesses, and some of us are really struggling. I’ll admit it to you: It’s hard for me to get super excited about our fall ministries this year; I’m still reeling from all the loss.
Our church is in desperate need of God’s healing touch, but for that to happen, we must be willing to admit our struggles to each other; we must confess our sins to one another.
And then pray for one another. Don’t gossip about each other. Don’t judge each other. Just lift each other up before the Throne of Grace. If we can only find a way to do that, then we will experience God’s healing as a church, and God will use us in a powerful way for His glory in the months ahead.
If you want to pray with great power, then 1st, pray constantly; 2nd, pray confidently; 3rd, pray corporately; and 4th…
PRAY FERVENTLY.
Pray with a sense of urgency. Ask God earnestly for the healing we so desperately need.
James 5:17-18 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. (ESV)
James uses the example of Elijah, who was a man just like us. He had his highs and his lows, his great victories and his great sorrows. One day he’s calling fire down from heaven, and the next day he’s so depressed he wants God to kill him. Elijah had his weaknesses just like we do, but in spite of all that, or maybe BECAUSE of those weaknesses, he prayed fervently, and God answered His prayer.
You see, God doesn’t answer lackadaisical prayers. He doesn’t listen to halfhearted, apathetic requests, no! He only responds to those who are desperate for Him to act. If you’re not desperate for God to intervene, then don’t even bother to pray. But if you ARE desperate, then God is determined to hear and answer your prayer.
Steve Corbett, in his book When Helping Hurts, talks about visiting one of Africa's largest slums, one Sunday, the massive Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. The conditions were simply inhumane. People lived in shacks constructed out of cardboard boxes. Foul smells gushed out of open ditches carrying human and animal excrement… Steve says, “I thought to myself, This place is completely God-forsaken.
“Then to my amazement,” he says, “right there among the dung, I heard the sound of a familiar hymn… Every Sunday, thirty slum dwellers crammed into this ten-by-twenty foot “sanctuary” to worship [God]. The church was made out of cardboard boxes that had been opened up and stapled to studs. It wasn't pretty, but it was a church made up of some of the poorest people on earth.
Steve was immediately asked to preach the sermon. He quickly jotted down some notes and was looking forward to teaching this congregation [about the sovereignty of God]. But before the sermon began, he listened as some of the poorest people on the planet cried out to God: “Jehovah Jireh, please heal my son, as he is going blind.” “Merciful Lord, please protect me when I go home today, for my husband always beats me.” “Sovereign King, please provide my children with enough food today, as they are hungry.”
Steve says, “As I listened to their heartfelt prayers, I thought about my ample salary, my life insurance policy, my health insurance policy, my two cars, my house, etc. I realized that I do not really trust in God's sovereignty on a daily basis. I have buffers in place to shield me from most economic shocks. I realized that when these folks pray ‘Give us this day our daily bread’, their minds don't wander as mine so often does. I realized that these slum dwellers were trusting in God's sovereignty just to get them through the day, and they had a far deeper intimacy with God than I probably will ever have in my entire life. (Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, When Helping Hurts, Moody Press, 2012, pp. 64-65; www.PreachingToday.com)
There is a fervency that is born out of great need, and we will never pray with that kind of fervency until we realize our desperate need of God.
You don’t have to be poor to realize your desperate need. You just have to be honest. All of us are in desperate need of God if we care to admit it. Without Him, we can do nothing; we can’t even take our next breath, much less do anything of significance for Him.
And until we admit that to ourselves and to one another, we will never pray with any kind of fervency. And if we never pray with any kind of fervency, then we will never experience miraculous answers to prayer. Powerful prayer is fervent prayer, prayer that is desperate for God to act.
If you want to pray with great power, then 1st, pray constantly; 2nd, pray confidently; 3rd, pray corporately; and 4th, pray fervently. My dear friends, if you will pray in this way, then you will…
PRAY EFFECTIVELY.
Your prayers will be successful. God will grant your requests and use you to save people from sin and death.
James 5:19-20 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (ESV)
I don’t have a lot of time left to adequately unpack these verses, but isn’t this what God calls us as a church to do? Doesn’t God call the church to save souls from sin and death?
Sure it is, but this is supernatural work! Our programs cannot save people, but our prayers can! YOUR prayers can! Your prayers can make a real difference in people’s lives!
Do you want to pray with great power? Then pray constantly; pray confidently; pray corporately; and pray fervently. Then and only then will you pray effectively. God will use you to do supernatural things. He will use you transform lives for eternity and save many souls from sin and death.
People came early on Christmas Eve for the 11 p.m. service at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. Among them was a recovering alcoholic, six months sober, who slipped into the eleventh row. This was his first Christmas since having lost his family. A family of four sat down two rows in front of him. Seeing them together was crushing. He decided he couldn’t handle it – he had to have a drink.
As he moved from the sanctuary to the foyer, he ran into Pastor Thomas Tewell. “Jim, where are you going?’ the pastor asked.
“Oh, I’m just going out for a Scotch,” Jim replied.
“Jim, you can’t do that,” the pastor responded. He knew that Jim was a recovering alcoholic. “Is your sponsor available?” the pastor asked.
Jim replied, “It’s Christmas Eve. My sponsor is in Minnesota. There’s nobody who can help me. I just came tonight for a word of hope, and I ended up sitting behind this family. If I had my life together, I’d be here with my wife and kids too.”
Pastor Tewell took Jim into his office to talk with a couple of other pastors. Then he slipped into the auditorium, having no idea what to do. He whispered a prayer: “O God, could you give me a word of hope for Jim?” He welcomed everyone and told them about the church. Then he said, “I have one final announcement. If anyone here tonight is a friend of Bill Wilson – and if you are, you’ll know it – could you step out for a moment and meet me in my office?” Bill Wilson was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.
From all over the sanctuary, women, men, and college students arose and made their way out. And together, they helped Jim fight the forces of evil in his life. (Dr. Thomas Tewell, The Communicator’s Companion, 3-21-02)
That’s what we want to do for you today. If you’re just worn out because of life’s trials, and you’ve become weak and weary in your struggle against sin, then let us pray for you before you leave. Meet me in my office after we close the worship service. I’m going to ask a couple of the elders to join me, and together we’ll fight the forces of evil in your life.
Even if your faith is weak or non-existent at this time, you come. Borrow some faith from those who are strong in the faith, and let us pray the prayer of faith over you. Then your soul will find healing and rest from its struggle.
If you come admitting your struggle, God will save you from that struggle and raise you up. He will forgive your sins and give you a new life. That’s His promise to you, so you come. Meet me in my office after the service, and let us pray for you. In fact, let’s pray right now…
