Faithful in Prayer

Well, good morning, church.

Turn with me in your Bibles, if you have a Bible, to the book of James.

We're looking at James chapter 5, verses 13 through 18.

James 5:13–18

This summer we've been going through this very practical book written by the brother

of Jesus himself, who was the leader of the early church in Jerusalem, and we're coming

to the end of it.

So let me read James chapter 5, verses 13 through 18 this morning.

James 5:13–18

Is anyone among you suffering?

Let him pray.

Is anyone cheerful?

Let him sing praise.

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.

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.

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.

I'm just going to say up front, I was outside all day yesterday.

It was dusty, and I have allergies.

So, just to hopefully reassure you.

Moving on.

The sermon is about prayer.

Over the years, I've had several conversations with people who have come to Trinity from all

different parts of this country and all over the world.

And many people have shared with me about other churches that they've been part of in

other places and how God has ministered to them and helped them through other churches that

they've been part of in other places.

And many people, especially, I've noticed a pattern that many people, especially from other

parts of the world, have mentioned how important prayer is to their churches back home.

So, in Korea, many churches have early morning prayer at 5 or 6 a.m. every weekday.

That's a common thing.

Many people attend these daily early morning prayer meetings.

In Africa, many churches meet to pray and worship for hours on end, multiple times a week.

In this church, for several years, we've had a ministry to Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants.

They worship in the Amharic language.

And they often, I would say, at least a few times a year, they set aside a day or even a whole week

where they encourage the whole church to fast and pray.

And when they do that, they usually set up prayer three times a day, morning, noon, and night.

They do it over a conference call because they live all over Connecticut.

But that's just a normal, a pretty regular thing that they do.

And sometimes, as I've been talking with our brothers and sisters in Christ who've come to Trinity

or come to the United States from other parts of the world, they'll ask me a question.

Now, almost nobody asked it directly.

But the question that they basically ask is,

do American Christians really feel like they need to pray?

Or why don't Christians here seem to value prayer that much?

And again, very few people say that directly,

but many people over the years have raised that concern with me in one form or another.

Now, we could say a few things.

I sometimes say that, you know, we can't completely measure our attitude toward prayer

by the number and length of organized prayer meetings each week

or even by the length of our own personal prayer time, right?

Jesus warned his disciples not to heap up empty words in prayer

or think that they'll be heard for their many words.

And at Trinity, we try not to over-program our life together,

even when we're not in the midst of a pandemic

and a lot of the things we normally do we can't do.

Or have to limit in other ways.

But we try not to over-program our church life, right?

We don't want people to feel like I have to be at church every single night of the week

for something or other.

We try to integrate prayer into the rest of the things that we do.

But even with all those caveats,

I think that our brothers and sisters in Christ

who have raised this question

and expressed this concern

are noticing a real problem,

a real issue.

For many of us, if we're honest,

prayer is not the engine that drives our spiritual lives.

Instead, it's more like an afterthought.

We sometimes get to it, sometimes don't.

We don't always feel much of a need to pray.

Some of us might say,

well, you know, I've tried to understand how prayer works.

I mean, if God knows everything in advance

and He sovereignly orders our lives,

then He's going to do what He's going to do anyway.

Like, why do I have to pray?

But here's the thing.

Even if we don't completely understand

all the mysteries of prayer,

there are all kinds of things that we use

and benefit from every day

that we don't mostly understand how they work.

Right?

Most of us, we go to the doctor

and the doctor prescribes some medications.

Okay, 10 to 20% of you out there

are in the health professional field.

You might understand it,

but the other 80, 90% of us don't.

At least, we don't really understand

how all the chemical reactions work.

Right?

In depth.

But we still take the medicine.

And most of us don't really fully understand

how our car engines work.

But we still get in cars

or ride buses

and benefit from them.

Right?

We use and benefit from all kinds of things

that we don't completely understand.

And so why not with prayer?

The passage we're looking at today

does not explain all the mysteries of prayer,

but it calls us to be people of prayer.

As we've said throughout this series,

the book of James was written to people

who are experiencing trials of various kinds.

And really one of the questions James is addressing is,

how do we not just survive,

but thrive spiritually through trials?

And James begins and ends

with two themes.

The themes of patience and prayer.

So beginning in chapter one,

one of the first things he says is,

let steadfastness finish its work

so that you may become mature and complete.

Patience.

Right?

Hanging in there.

Persevering.

And prayer.

At the beginning,

James says,

if any of you lacks wisdom,

let him ask God.

And again,

last week we looked at patience.

And patience doesn't just mean being passive

and not doing anything.

It means actively trusting

and waiting upon the Lord

and sowing to the future,

but waiting for God to do what only he can do.

And today we're looking at prayer.

Patience and prayer, of course, go together.

Right?

It's hard to sustain a life of patience

apart from prayer.

So what we'll see today

is the importance of prayer

for different people

facing different circumstances.

We'll see first,

in verse 13,

individual believers

praying through life's ups and downs.

Second,

verse 14 and 15,

we'll see the church elders

praying for those in special need.

Third,

verse 16,

we'll see fellow Christians

praying for one another

as we confess sins.

And four,

verse 17 and 18,

we'll see the power of prayer

in all circumstances.

So first,

individual believers

praying through life's ups and downs.

Is anyone among you suffering?

Let him pray.

Is anyone cheerful?

Let him sing praise.

The pronouns in this verse

are all singular.

Right?

So James is speaking

to every one of us individually.

And he uses two words

that cover the whole range

of human emotions.

Suffering,

which literally

could be translated

feeling bad.

Right?

Some of us might be feeling bad.

We're in pain

or we're afflicted

or troubled

or anxious.

And James says,

pray.

And the next word he uses

is cheerful.

Right?

It's a word that means

confident,

enthusiastic,

happy.

And James says,

if that's where you are,

sing praise.

Right?

Some of us pray

when we're suffering.

Right?

When we hit a crisis.

That's what really

drives us to pray.

God, help me.

I really need you.

But then once we're feeling better,

we get complacent

and we just,

our prayer life dwindles.

Others of us

might be the reverse.

Right?

Maybe you love to sing

praise songs.

Maybe you just

thank God every day

for your food

and the daily blessings

that he gives us.

But then when

life really goes bad,

maybe that's where

you struggle

to pray.

Right?

To be honest with God

in the seasons

of disappointment,

to talk with,

to submit to the Lord

when we

maybe don't

like how things

are shaking out

for us.

Right?

But whether we're

feeling bad

or feeling great,

our faith in God

is being tested.

In both situations,

the temptation

is to retreat

into ourselves

and our feelings.

Right?

Either retreating

into our bad feelings

and just sitting there

in our own cave.

Right?

Or to retreat

into our good feelings

and become very

self-satisfied

and self-focused

and all about

self-fulfillment

and that's all about

what our life

sort of revolves around.

But James says,

no, in both of these

circumstances,

in both of these feelings,

there's an invitation

from God

to bring our emotions

before him.

Prayer helps us,

one person said,

prayer helps us

to sanctify our pleasures

and consecrate

our pains.

And let me just say,

prayer doesn't come

completely naturally

to any of us.

Right?

All of us

are still learning

to pray.

And we'll all be

learning to pray

until the day

we see Jesus

face to face.

The one who

our prayers

are ultimately

directed towards.

But one of the best ways

to learn to pray

in all circumstances

is to spend time

in the biblical book

of Psalms.

Now the Psalms speak

out of all kinds

of outward circumstances

and inward emotions.

There are Psalms of Lament.

About a third of the Psalms

fall in this category.

The Psalmist is

crying out in agony,

troubled by uncertainty,

oppressed by enemies,

betrayed by friends.

And on the other hand,

there are Psalms of Praise

where the Psalmist is

filled with gratitude

and overcome with wonder

and dancing for joy.

And the Psalms help us

to put,

to verbalize

our prayers

and praises

in all the seasons

of life,

in all the seasons

of our soul.

Back in the 4th century,

the Egyptian church leader

Athanasius wrote

a treatise on the Psalms.

And it's a great,

it's not that long.

You can find it online

if you just look for

Athanasius on the Psalms.

And he wrote this.

This is part of what he wrote.

He said,

in the Psalter,

in the Psalms,

you learn about yourself.

You find depicted in it

all the movements

of your soul,

all its changes,

its ups and downs,

its failures and recoveries.

Moreover,

whatever your particular

need or trouble,

from this same book

you can select

a form of words

to fit it

so that you learn

the way to remedy

your ill.

He says,

you can take its words

upon your lips

as if they were your own.

You see,

the Psalms can teach us

how to pray

over the course

of our lives.

Some people have said

that the people

who appreciate the Psalms most

are elderly people

who have been through

a wide range

of life's experiences.

Because,

you know,

sometimes you'll read a Psalm

and you'll think,

boy,

the Psalmist is really angry here.

Or,

you'll read a Psalm

and think,

the Psalmist is so happy

and I'm not there.

Or,

he expresses this pure

trust in the Lord

and I'm struggling.

Right?

So,

but you see,

the Psalms are teaching us.

Teaching us to pray

over the course of our lives

and so,

many people who have been,

who have walked with the Lord

for a long time

and walked with the Psalms

for a long time

have come to treasure them

more and more

because they help us

put into words

our prayers

in all circumstances.

So,

that's the first thing.

Our individual prayers

help us remain steady

and seeking the Lord

through life's ups and downs.

Second theme,

verse 14 and 15,

James talks about

the elders' prayer

for those in special need.

Is anyone among you sick?

Let him call

for the elders

of the church.

Now,

James uses two different words

in verse 14

and verse 15,

both of which

are translated sick.

The word in verse 14

can be translated

either sick or weak.

So,

in other places

in the Bible,

the same word

refers to people

who were blind,

lame,

paralyzed,

frail,

needy,

or weakened by old age.

The word in verse 15

has a sense of being

weary and worn out.

So,

you know,

think about that

sort of

set of ideas,

right?

Being sick

or weak,

weary,

or worn out.

In this passage,

James seems to be

envisioning a situation

where someone is

pretty seriously

sick or weak,

right?

Possibly even bedridden,

right?

He doesn't say

go to the elders.

He says call for the elders.

In other words,

the elders are going to

come to you

because you can't

go to them,

right?

Perhaps someone's even

confined to bed,

right?

They can't leave their house

or the hospital.

And when somebody

is sick or weak,

weary or worn out,

whether it's physically,

emotionally,

or mentally,

or spiritually,

they can easily

become disconnected

from the Lord

and from the rest

of the church body.

And so,

James tells them

call upon the leaders

of the local church body

to come and pray

over them

so their connection

with the Lord

is not weakened,

but rather strengthened,

right?

Their trust in the Lord

can be not weakened,

but rather strengthened

through this trial.

And James says

the elders should pray

anointing the sick person

with oil

in the name of the Lord.

Now,

oil isn't magic.

The book of Acts

records some,

several instances

where people were healed

through prayer

and God's miraculous work

apart from any oil.

But oil was a symbolic act

of setting someone apart

for God's special attention

and care.

Throughout the scriptures,

oil is a symbol

of the Holy Spirit's

presence and power.

So,

the elders in anointing

someone with oil

are very powerfully

reminding them

that God's Holy Spirit

is with you

and upon you

and here with us

as we bring you

before the Lord.

Just like people would

bring people

before Jesus

like the four men

brought their paralyzed

friend to Jesus,

right?

And lowered him down

through the roof,

right?

That's what the elders

are doing in a situation

like this.

It's bringing the sick person

before the merciful Savior.

So, let me say to you,

right,

for those of you

who I can see here,

right,

you're all well enough

to come out to church,

right?

And many of you at home

are still able to,

you know,

go for a walk,

get outside of your house,

right?

But if you,

let me say,

you might become

seriously ill someday.

Weak, weary,

worn out.

Maybe it's an acute

and life-threatening illness.

Maybe it's a chronic condition

that just wears you down

over time.

And if,

especially if you find yourself

becoming more and more

disconnected

from the rest

of the church body

because of

your illness

or weakness,

do what this verse says.

Call for the elders

of the church.

We will come

and pray with you.

If we can't come right away,

we'll pray,

or, you know,

if we're prohibited

from coming

because the hospital

isn't allowing visitors

at the point,

we'll pray with you

over the phone

at the very least.

Right?

Some sicknesses

are so debilitating

that it becomes

hard to think

and hard to even

put a sentence

of prayer

into words.

Sometimes the mental fog

is completely overwhelming.

Right?

And you,

and it's,

and it,

it's hard to even

pray for yourself.

That's where you need

to ask others

to come

and pray

with and for

you.

So let me encourage

you to,

to,

to ask

for prayer.

Don't be too proud

to ask for prayer

when you really need it.

In verse 13,

verse 15,

sorry,

we see the result

of the elder's prayer.

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.

Now,

this verse

raises a few questions.

So let me address

three of them

before we go on.

First,

what is the prayer

of faith?

Some people say

that this is a special

kind of prayer

where God

on certain occasions

gives his people

a special kind

of faith

to confidently believe

that the sick person

will be physically healed

in response

to that prayer.

But you know,

that's not how

James describes

faith

in other places.

Whenever James

talks about faith,

he's not talking

about confidently

expecting a certain

outcome.

He's talking

about confidently

trusting the character

of God.

You see,

when we put our faith

in outcomes,

we may be disappointed.

We may become

very disillusioned.

But when we place

our faith

in the character

of God,

even when the outcome

may or may not

be what we want,

God is still there.

And he's still with us.

And he always is

who he always has been.

Now,

if you look back

at chapter 1,

verse 6,

James uses a similar phrase.

He says,

if you lack wisdom,

ask God in faith

with no doubting.

And we explained

that phrase back then

when we looked

at that passage.

But what James means

there is

ask in faith,

in trust,

trusting God's generosity

and goodness.

And with no doubting.

That means not wavering

in our loyalty to him.

We might feel

uncertainty, of course,

and worry at times.

But James says,

don't be double-minded.

Right?

Don't waver

in your loyalty

to the Lord.

But ask God,

trusting his generosity

and goodness.

So,

the prayer of faith here,

I think,

means trusting

that God will hear our prayer

and give us,

whether it's wisdom

or healing

or whatever it is

that he knows

we truly need.

So,

I think that's

the prayer of faith.

Second question,

what does it mean

that the sick person

will be saved

and raised up

by the Lord?

Now,

some people say

this is a promise

of physical healing

as long as we pray

in faith.

And then,

if we don't see

physical healing,

then maybe we didn't pray

with faith

or with the right kind of faith.

But again,

that's not what James says here.

At the end of chapter 4,

James has already reminded us

that our lives

and our circumstances

are in the Lord's hands.

He says,

we should say,

if it is the Lord's will,

we will live

and do this or that.

So,

our plans

and our prayers

are ultimately subject

to God's sovereign will.

And here,

in verse,

chapter 5,

verse 15,

James uses two verbs,

save and raise up,

that can mean

a whole range of things.

Sometimes,

those verses refer to

someone being physically healed

or made whole

or getting up out of bed.

But those verbs

can also have

a spiritual

and an eternal sense.

In fact,

James uses the word save

in four other places

in the book

and they all refer

to eternal salvation.

Right?

Someone being right

with God,

being rescued

by God forever.

So,

what does this mean?

The Lord will save

and raise up

the sick person.

I think

we need to let the Lord

in every circumstance

define

precisely how

and when

he chooses

to save

and to heal,

to raise up

and to renew

his sick

and weak

and weary

children

whom he dearly loves.

Right?

Sometimes,

God answers prayers

with physical healing

even immediately

and there are people

who can legitimately

testify to that

and we can pray boldly

for that.

We don't have to apologize

about praying

for physical healing.

But God also answers prayers

by giving emotional healing

or resilience

that we,

bringing us through

a hard situation

that we never thought

we could make it through

or restoring

broken relationships.

I've seen examples

where relationships

that had been broken

or estranged

for years

were reconciled

and strengthened

through someone's

physical illness

or giving renewed

spiritual insight

and vitality.

Right?

God sometimes answers

our prayers

in all kinds of ways

that aren't always

what we would expect

but any and all

of those

are reasons

to praise God.

This week we sent out

a written reflection

to the church email list

from Rick Schneider

who Matt prayed for

earlier in the service.

Rick has been at home

with ALS

for almost two years now.

So some of you

may know him

but some of you

may not know him

if you've come to the church

more recently especially.

And the elders of Trinity

have done exactly

what this passage says.

We've gone to his house,

we've anointed him with oil,

we've prayed over him,

we've actually done so

multiple times

and many others

have prayed for

and with him as well.

And the Lord so far

has not healed him of ALS

but the Lord has responded

to our prayers

and the prayers of many

for him.

Let me just share

an excerpt

from what Rick wrote

recently.

You can read the whole thing

if you got it

through the church email list

or ask us for it

if you didn't.

He wrote this

a couple weeks ago.

He said,

Recently I heard about

a major breakthrough

in ALS treatments.

I was encouraged to think

that maybe this would be

the way the Lord

might free me

from this pestilence.

But I also was surprised

to realize

that my own hope

did not seem to waver

or change

even after I discovered

that the treatment

probably wouldn't apply

to my own specific type

of ALS.

And then I realized

that this hope within me

that seems to have been produced

over this last year

has almost nothing to do

with the certainty

of my healing

whether that is here

or in eternity.

Instead I realized

that I am more and more

certain that God's love

will still be alive

in my heart tomorrow.

That is a new sort

of hope for me.

Much of my life

I've been amazed

at God's gracious

and loving work

in saving me

and giving me a wife

and family

and working some amazing

miracles in our ministry.

But I have always been

tempted to think

that someday

maybe that love

would grow cold.

My love would grow cold.

And now I realize

that my hope

is not in any

of these miraculous works

or in the history

of God's faithfulness

to me

but it really is

in the fact

that he will be

faithful tomorrow.

And in every tomorrow

after that

no matter what

comes along.

The prayer of faith

will save the one

who is sick

and the Lord

will raise him up.

And the end

of the verse says

if he's committed sins

he'll be forgiven.

Well that's the last question

I want to deal with

before we go on

to the next verse.

What's the connection

James is making

between sickness

and sin?

Now not every sickness

is a result of sin

that's why James says

if.

On the other hand

some sicknesses

are directly connected

to specific sins

otherwise James

wouldn't make this

comment at all.

And if our sinful

patterns have contributed

to our physical

illness or weakness

we shouldn't ignore

those sinful patterns.

We need to face them

and deal with them.

In fact sometimes

dealing with our

sinful habits

is even harder

than dealing

with the unpleasant

symptoms of a physical

illness.

But this verse

gives us a great

encouragement.

Even if our

physical illness

is completely

the result

of our foolish

choices

or ungodly

habits

we can come

boldly to Jesus

who is merciful

and mighty

to save.

His power

is sufficient

not only to heal

our broken bodies

but to forgive

our sins

and save

our souls.

See Jesus

didn't just come

to heal people

who get sick

through no fault

of their own.

He came to heal

and save

and show mercy

to guilty

sinners

like us.

And that

is good

news.

We can come

boldly

before him

and pray for

all these things.

And that leads us

to our third point.

Right?

We've seen individuals

praying through

life's ups and downs.

We've seen the elders

praying for those

in special need.

Third,

we see fellow

Christians praying

for each other

as we confess sins.

Confess your sins

to one another

and pray for one another

that you may be healed.

James is going

from specifically

focusing on the elders

praying for those

in special need

to generally focusing

on any Christian

praying for

any other Christian.

And not just

the sick person

who has sinned

can be forgiven

but any Christian

who has sinned

can be forgiven

through confession

and prayer.

So James' assumption

here is that

Christians will

sometimes sin.

Right?

And he's telling us

how to deal with it.

And the right way

to deal with sin

is by acknowledging

it for what it is

and receiving prayer

so that we are

freed from

its toxic influences.

Right?

Now what does this

look like practically?

James doesn't spell out

the details of what

this looks like

but from other

biblical passages

we can flesh this

out a bit.

So what might this

look like

if we have wronged

another Christian?

Right?

So example.

Chapter 1 James says

we should be quick

to listen,

slow to speak,

and slow to get angry.

Well, guess what?

Probably many of us

have fallen short

in one of those ways.

Right?

I can think of

we can all

probably all of us

can think of times

where we haven't

lived up to that.

Right?

We've said things

in haste

and in anger

that may not be

completely true

and certainly

weren't completely

helpful.

Now,

what do we do?

Well,

as Christians

we shouldn't just

pretend it never

happened

and go on

and just act

like I never

said it.

Nope.

And we

shouldn't

make excuses

for ourselves.

Right?

No.

The Christian way

is go to the person

that we have offended

and say,

I was wrong.

I'm sorry.

Will you forgive me?

That's a good way

to begin an apology

by the way.

I was wrong.

I'm sorry.

And don't add

the word but

after that.

Right?

You might need

to explain

exactly what you

are saying

that you're sorry

for.

So people know.

but maybe

if the person

responds well

especially

you might even

say,

can you pray

for me

because I

realize this

is an area

that I need

to grow in.

Now,

I just want you

to stop and

think about

how unusual

that kind of

conversation is

in the world

that we live in.

First of all,

to confess

wrongs

without minimizing

or making

excuses.

That's pretty

unusual.

And second,

for someone

who has been

wronged

to not only

forego

retaliation

but actively

pray

for that

person's

healing

and growth.

Extending

forgiveness

and blessing.

That's also

pretty unusual.

And you know,

both of those

things are

empowered

by the love

and transforming

power of

Jesus.

That we can

honestly

acknowledge

our faults

and shortcomings.

And that we

can graciously

pray

for someone,

even someone

who has

wronged us.

Especially when

they acknowledge

that and repent,

that we can pray

specifically with

them and for

them in that

way.

We can even

pray for someone

who hasn't yet

acknowledged it.

Sort of from,

that's more from

a distance,

right?

But that's a

testimony to

the love and

power of

Christ,

right?

Every one

of our sins

is a grievous

offense against

him,

but Jesus

doesn't only

forgive our

sins,

he blesses

us and

prays for

us and

intercedes

and advocates

for us and

seeks our

healing and

growth.

Now,

what about

secret sins?

Right?

Secret sins

in our thoughts,

in our hearts,

or private sins

that nobody

else knows

about?

Things like

jealousy,

self-pity,

lust,

greed.

What do we

do with those

things?

How does this

verse apply in

those situations?

Well,

it is not wise

or helpful to

confess all of

our secret sins

to a large group

of people,

all at once,

right?

Or to anyone

indiscriminately,

right?

That's not wise.

But if we are

struggling with

secret sins,

if there are

sins in our

thoughts and

our hearts that

we are repeatedly

falling into,

that have a

hold on us,

it is unwise to

keep that struggle

completely within

ourselves.

Because

it's going to

go one way or

the other.

And if those

sins are,

if we are not

putting those

sins to death

by the power of

God's word and

prayer and his

Holy Spirit,

they will fester

and grow within

us and one

day they will

explode.

And that will

be very ugly.

And there will

be a whole lot

of damage to

clean up.

Especially when

they've been

festering and

growing for

weeks,

months,

years,

without being

brought into

the light.

So find a

trusted brother

or sister in

Christ,

tell them what

sins you are

struggling with

or falling into

and ask them

to pray for

you in the

name of the

Lord.

Lord,

you know,

sometimes just

doing that

pops,

it's like

popping a

balloon.

It deflates

the power of

a secret sin

that has become

overwhelming.

Right?

And that's too

big for us to

deal with on

our own.

Sometimes simply

bringing that

into the light

in the presence

of a brother

or sister in

Christ who

can pray for

us and assure

us of the

truth of the

gospel,

God can work

powerfully

through that.

And if

someone comes

to you and

confesses a

sin that they

are struggling

with secretly,

let me coach

you a little

how to respond.

Don't just

say,

okay,

that's really

weird that you

shared that

with me.

Right?

Don't say

that.

No.

Right?

You're,

I mean,

reality is,

you might be

no different

from them.

Right?

You have

things you're

struggling with

too.

So,

but here's

what you can

do that is

helpful.

Remind them

of the

promises of

God.

1 John 1

9,

if we confess

our sins,

God is

faithful and

just to

forgive our

sins and

purify us

from all

unrighteousness.

That's a

good verse

to share

with someone

who confesses

a secret

sin that

they're struggling

with in their

thought life or

in their

hearts and

remind them

of that.

And maybe

you take a

time to pray

together.

Maybe the

person who

starts by

just confessing

their sin to

God while

you listen,

and then you

pray for them

and use the

words of that

scripture in

your prayer for

them.

Even read that

scripture and

pray that they

would be assured

of God's

forgiveness and

that they would

know his

purifying power

prayer on an

ongoing basis.

God can do

wonderful things

as we pray for

one another in

these kinds of

ways.

So, we've seen

individual Christians

praying through

lives up and

downs.

We've seen the

elders praying for

those in special

need.

We've seen fellow

Christians praying

for each other as

we confess our

sins.

And finally,

James concludes

verse 16 through

8 or 17 and

18, a reminder

of the power of

prayer in all

circumstances.

The prayer of a

righteous person

has great power

as it is working.

It's one of the

means through which

God's power is

displayed in our

lives and in the

world.

And James urges us,

don't neglect

prayer, but exercise

it.

Right?

The prayer, make

prayer a personal

habit, whether we're

feeling bad or

feeling great, call

upon the elders if

we have a special

need, pray for one

another that we,

that God, we would

not be led into

temptation but

delivered from evil.

And James concludes

with the example of

Elijah.

Now, many of us

think of Elijah and

we think of him as

a larger-than-life

figure.

Right?

He did great

miracles.

He even got taken

up to heaven in the

chariot of fire.

That's pretty amazing.

But James doesn't

emphasize his heroic

exploits.

James says he was a

human being with a

nature just like ours.

You know, if you read

the story of Elijah at

the end of 1 Kings, you

will see he boldly

declared the truth to

hostile audiences.

He was resilient

through trying

circumstances.

He was an example to

other godly people of

his time.

And God did powerful

things through him.

But he also got angry

and depressed and

afraid.

One day he ran into

the desert and he went

into a cave and he

said, God, I want to

die.

I'm done.

Take me.

No more.

God said, go to sleep.

God sent an angel to

cook him a meal.

God said, eat and

sleep.

Sometimes that's what

you need to do to

recover from certain

things.

It's a means of grace,

right?

And then Elijah keeps

traveling, but he's not

totally in a right head

space yet.

The next thing he says

is, I'm the only one

left, Lord.

I'm the only righteous

person left in the whole

world.

Everyone's against me.

Everyone's abandoned me.

You know, even your own

people have left me in the

dust.

Now, that wasn't true.

God said, uh-uh-uh.

There's like 400 people

who are still faithful and

still trusting me and

they're hiding out too,

but I've got plenty of

others.

Right?

Elijah was dealing with

self-pity.

Right?

I'm the only one left.

Right?

Here's the point.

Like the rest of us,

Elijah struggled with

anger and fear and

self-righteousness and

self-pity.

But through his trials

and despite his flaws,

he prayed.

And James reminds us of

a particular season in

Elijah's life when the

nation of Israel had

fallen into great

wickedness.

In fact, it says that

the king at that time

was the most wicked

king that there ever

had been in Israel.

Worse than all of the

rest.

The whole nation was

worshiping idols and

all kinds of things

were way out of whack.

People were, all kinds

of people were being

mistreated.

God's name was not

being honored.

Elijah prayed that God

would withhold the

rain from the land to

lead the king and the

people to repentance and

to acknowledge the one

true God.

And God answered his

prayer.

And then after a season

of judgment, Elijah

prayed that God would

pour out his mercy once

again and restore the

land to fruitfulness.

And God answered his

prayer.

You see, Elijah wasn't,

Elijah had a big problem

on his hands.

He wasn't just praying

for his own ups and

downs in life.

He wasn't just praying

for one other person in

special need.

He wasn't just praying

for some other Christians

or some other people in

his fellowship or church.

He was dealing with a

national disaster.

And God heard his prayer.

Even for a huge problem,

God hears and answers our

prayer.

Whatever the circumstances

we are facing, whatever

the circumstances the world

is in around us, he hears

our prayer not because we're

flawless, not because we're

experts in prayer, but

because Jesus has made a way

for us.

Right?

The prayer of a righteous

person is powerful and

effective.

What does it mean to be

righteous?

It means that we have been

made right with God through

the work of Jesus Christ.

And that we can come before

God through him with freedom

and confidence.

And through him we can

experience his power through

prayer.

So let's pray.

Father, thank you for this

exhortation and this invitation

to prayer.

In all circumstances, on our

own, with one another, we pray

that prayer would come to

pervade our lives more and

more.

Teach us, Lord, to pray in

every season of our lives.

Teach us to pray for one

another and with one another.

Teach us to pray for our

nation and our world.

Thank you that you are a

gracious and merciful God who

hears and answers prayer.

We pray these things in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.