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James 5:13-18
Three Keys To Effective Prayer
Introduction
As we come to the end of this letter, the theme of this paragraph is
obvious: prayer. The word “prayer” (actually three different
Greek words) is used in every single verse.
Everyone knows that prayer is important in Christianity, but most Christians
struggle in this area. As in the rest of his letter, James supplies us
with several practical guidelines for prayer . . .
Cultivate the habit of ongoing individual prayer (vs 13)
Read vs 13. James is exhorting us to cultivate the habit of ongoing
individual prayer. He emphasizes this in two ways:
He picks two situations at opposite ends of the circumstantial and
emotional spectrum. One is “suffering” (kakopatheo)
which means to experience circumstantial hardship (PAUL IMPRISONED AS
A CRIMINAL). Instead of lapsing into self-pity or resentment at others,
we should pray to God for the strength to endure and the wisdom to learn
what God wants to teach us. The other is “cheerful” (euthumeo)
which means to feel happy because you have good fortune. Instead of
just reveling in our happiness or good circumstances, we should thank
and praise God for this expression of his goodness. In these extremities,
and in everything in between, our first reaction should be to turn to
God.
He uses the present tense (“keep on praying/singing praises”).
Such events should be the catalyst to initiate relating to God which
continues so that more and more we “rejoice always (and) pray without
ceasing“ as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. The
goal is unbroken communion with God.
This does not come naturally. Although our new nature and God's Spirit
motivate us to relate to God in this way, we also have a sin-nature which
is highly aversive to prayer (EXAMPLES). Because of this, if you wait
until you feel like praying, your prayer life will be sporadic
and your intimacy with God will also be sporadic. This is why James uses
the imperative mood; he is emphasizing that we must choose to draw
near to God in this way. The more you choose to pray, the more natural
prayer will become to you. And conversely, the less you choose to pray,
the more aversive prayer will become to you. This is the value of setting
regular times of prayer (alone & with others) as well as seizing the
opportunity spontaneously through the day.
God's promised response is found in 4:8a: “Draw near to me and
I will draw near to you.” (SANDERS' MAXIM: “You are right
now as intimate with God as you habitually choose to be.”) Sometimes,
the reason for our spiritual dryness is embarrassingly simple. This
is always the first place to look . . .
Involve other Christians in your prayer life (vs 14-16a) (CORPORATE)
Read vs 14-16a. There is a very important general principle for prayer
in these verses, but vs 14-15 are so disturbing that there is no use going
on until we deal with them. I would like to deal with this as concisely
as possible because I want to emphasize the main point being made in the
passage.
APPARENT MEANING: It sounds like James is supplying us with
a formula which guarantees physical healing. If you are seriously ill,
and you ask the elders to annoint you with oil, and they pray for you
in faith, you will always be miraculously healed. This passage has been
used by groups and teachers (sometimes ignorant & sometimes deceitful)
to promise such healing on demand, and when healing does not occur it
is because the people involved did not have enough faith.
WHY THIS IS NOT ACCURATE: Because the entire Bible is God's
Word, we must interpret any specific passage in light of and in harmony
with the rest of what the Bible says. And the rest of the Bible makes
it clear that although God can and sometimes does miraculously heal
physical illness, he does not always or even normally do this. There
are many examples of this. Paul was denied physical healing by God for
his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:9-11)
even though he asked for it three times—not because he lacked sufficient
faith, but because God had a good purpose for Paul through this illness.
Although Paul had an extraordinary gift of healing (see Acts 19:11-12),
he evidently could not heal Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:26-27)
or Trophimus (2 Timothy 4:20).
WHAT IS JAMES PROMISING: There are two possibilities. One is
that James is referring only to disciplinary sicknesses (1 Corinthians 11:30).
In this case, he is promising that if the sick one confesses and repents
from the sin which occasioned the discipline, the sickness will be taken
away since it has served its purpose.
The other possible interpretation is that the prayer offered “in
the name of the Lord,” also called the prayer “of faith”
is the prayer for healing that is according to God's sovereign will.
In other words, if it is according to God's sovereign will to heal the
person, such prayers will be answered.
HOW SHOULD WE IMPLEMENT THIS: Seriously ill Christians should
ask elders or other mature Christians to pray for them. (This should
be in addition to, not instead of medical treatment.) These people should
explain both God's power to heal and his sovereign wisdom in what is
best. They should also give the person an opportunity to confess serious
sins that might occasion this sickness. Then they should ask God to
heal the person if it is according to his will, and place the results
in his hands.
I'll be glad to take further questions on this specific issue
after the teaching, but don't miss the important general principle
which is very clear (read vs 16a). Along with cultivating the habit of
individual prayer, our prayer lives should also have a corporate dimension.
Namely, we should involve other Christians in our prayer life.
Although we each have a direct relationship with God which we are responsible
to cultivate, much of our relationship with God is to be expressed indirectly
through our dealings with each other. This includes our prayer lives.
Share your spiritual struggles with other Christians & ask them
to pray for you. Vs 16a couldn't be clearer on this, could it? This
is not about clergy and laity (“one another”), nor is it about
morbidly beating myself. It is about us sharing honestly about our spiritual
lives, including our current failures and struggles, and asking others
to pray for.
This is so different from what normally characterizes the Christian
community: DISENGAGED SUPERFICIALITY (verneer; past problems only; “unspoken
requests”); AUTONOMOUS SELF-SUFFICIENCY (“I tell the Lord
about my sins; I don't need to tell anyone else”).
Here is an index of your involvement in Christian fellowship: are
you involved enough that you are sharing yoru current sins and failures?
What are their names? When was the last time you did this? Profound
healing and growth occur when ordinary Christians relate to God corporately
in this way!
Be aware of others' spiritual struggles & pray for them.
Vs 16b cuts both ways. Not only should we ask others to pray for us in
specific ways; we should also understand their specific struggles and
pray for them. This is what tempers our prayer life so it does not become
self-absorbed. Some of us love to talk to others about our struggles,
but have not taken up their responsibility to serve others by inquiring
about their spiritual health and praying for them.
Here is another index of your involvement in Christian fellowship:
are you involved enough that you know about and are praying for others
in this area? What are there names? When was the last time you did this?
Pray with other Christians. Although this is not directly commanded,
it is certainly implied and clearly taught elsewhere. Nothing could be
more natural than for Christians to talk to their common heavenly Father
together. There is a quality of fellowship when we do this that is unmatched
(THURSDAY NIGHTS >> OTHER BENEFITS). Some of you need to break this
barrier!
PROMOTE HOME GROUPS: They are meant to provide a context for this . . .
Pray with a commitment to God's will (vs 16b-18)
Read vs 16b-18. What was the secret to Elijah's prayer-life? Why
did God answer his requests? Because he was “righteous” (vs
16b). This doesn't mean he was some super-saint so different from us.
He had “a nature like ours”—he was an ordinary person with
weaknesses, sins and short-comings like each of us. “Righteous”
here means he was rightly aligned with God; he was committed to God's
will and wanted to see it advanced more than anything else—including
his own concern for safety, comfort, etc.
Prayer is not a means of getting God to do our will (“ALLADIN“).
This is the kind of prayer James says God will not answer (4:3)
because it is antithetical to the essence of prayer (OCCULTIC). Rather,
prayer is a way we align ourselves with and ask God to do his
will.
This is the key to a productive prayer life—one that sees God
answer—pray with a commitment to God's will. Jesus taught
this was a key when he said “Pray like this: Our Father . . . your
kingdom come, your will be done . . . ”).
He modelled this attitude in the Garden of Gethsemane when to his request
to avoid going to the cross, he added “ . . . however,
not my will, but yours be done.“ This is what it means to
pray “in Jesus' name”—to pray as Jesus' representative,
to pray as he would pray—to advance God's kingdom and accomplish
God's will. And this is why God promises to answer such prayers (John 14:13,
1 John 5:14-15).
Certain implications flow from this realization:
Have you affirmed God's will for your salvation (1 Timothy 2:4-6
>> GOSPEL)? This is the first priority for you if you have not
yet received Christ.
Are you learning God's will through Bible study and focusing your
prayer on its priorities (EXAMPLES)? Things like personal sanctification
for you and others, evangelism, missions advancement, etc.
When God's will is unclear, do you subordinate personal “wants”
to this? Since God is both loving and wise, this is the best attitude.
Footnote
Copyright
1994 Gary DeLashmutt
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