The Power of Spiritually Focused Prayer
If you’d rather listen to today’s Deeper Devo just click HERE. Last week I wrote a post at Revive Our Hearts on the first chapter of James titled: It’s Not Enough Just to Hear the Word. Prompting me to read several times through the entire book of James. And phew, talk about convicting. But when I came to the last section I paused and then I dug in because honestly, I just didn’t get it.
What did James mean when he said “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick.” Um, hello, but aren’t we all currently hiding in our homes due to a rapidly spreading illness? So, this week we’re taking a break from our study of Mark to talk about some very confusing verses in James and honestly, I hope it convicts you to pray just as much as it did me.
Devotional Scripture: James 5:13-20
Key Verse: “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…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.” James 5:13-15
“Does anyone have any prayer requests?” is a question I heard weekly growing up in the church. Earnestly, I would probe my six, eight, ten, or twelve-year-old heart. Did I have any prayer requests? Nope, I don’t think so. Oh wait, I think my friend’s cousin broke her arm—maybe we should pray for her.
Perhaps you have similar memories of sitting in Sunday school as a child, racking your brain for something to write on the white board. It’s not that there was nothing to pray about—it’s just that I wasn’t in tune with the spiritual battle going on within and around me. If I couldn’t think of a physical struggle to write on the board then nope, no prayers requests here.
But when you read the last few verses of James, it’s clear that every white board across the globe should be filled to overflowing with prayer requests and praises for every brother and sister in Christ. Not just for the physically ill.
James Calls for Us to Pray
As James closes the letter he urges, “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” (James 5:13-14).
Prayer is essential whether we’re happy or sad, sick or healthy, doing well or suffering. But what does James mean if anyone is sick let him call for the elders and be healed? While I absolutely believe we need to pray for those who are physically suffering, God has not promised us healing this side of heaven. Yet James goes on…
“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.” James 5:15-16
These verses make it sound as though all sickness is the result of sin. Though some illnesses can be the result of a sinful lifestyle, it’s just not true that all physical suffering is a consequence of sin. Sometimes our suffering is simply for the glory of God.
In John 9:2 the disciples ask Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” But Jesus responds that the man’s blindness was not due to sin but “that the works of God might be displayed in him” (Jn. 9:3).
I’ve witnessed the elders of the church lay hands on a brother who was physically suffering, but he wasn’t healed. Instead, it was God’s plan to heal him in heaven. So how can James say “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick?” Does he mean only in eternity?
James Calls for Us to be Holy
To understand the intention of these verses we need to place them in context with the rest of the book. The focus of the letter is godly living no matter what’s going on in our lives. Believers are called to holiness, whether we’re suffering or struggling or in need wisdom or aren’t getting along with others or rich or poor or facing temptation.
James doesn’t mince words either. Chapter one incites us to be doers of the Word and not only hearers. Chapter two begins with the sin of partiality, followed by the reminder that faith without works is dead.
Chapter three reminds us the tongue “is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God” (James 3:8-9).
Chapter four opens with a description of how selfish we really are. “You adulterous people!” says James, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
“Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). We are a deplorable people with a ferocious bent towards sin. Our insatiable passions rage against our soul (James 4:1). We want to do what’s right, but like the Apostle Paul, we struggle to do so. We need help and we need prayer—lots and lots of prayer.
Living Out Holiness Is Hard
The word “sick” in James 5:14 doesn’t just pertain to physical illness. It can also be translated “weak”, indicating spiritual weakness, just as it is in 1 Thessalonians 5:14. “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
Therefore, this last section of verses can also be placed within a spiritual context, not just a physical one. And viewing theses verses in the spiritual context fits well with the theme of the letter to choose godliness over worldliness.
Are you spiritually weak? Are you having a hard time responding with godliness? Tell a friend! Are you struggling with sin? Call for the elders. Don’t be embarrassed. “The prayer of the righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). Ask the leaders of the church to come and pray over you because your spiritual life is that important.
Our biggest battle is spiritual, not physical. James knows it’s not easy to be a doer of the Word in the face of trials and temptations. He knows it’s exhausting work to set aside the flesh, reign in our tongues, and display holiness in the middle of suffering.
When we’re struggling, the best thing we can do is have someone battle on our behalf through prayer. Apart from seeking God’s help, we will not be victorious over sin. We will succumb to it again and again.
Holiness is Possible with Prayer
Our tendency is to hide sin and weakness. We don’t like to admit when we’re struggling, especially when we’re struggling with sin. However, healing sits on the other side of confession because God is always willing to forgive us for our sins. Estranged from God our hearts remain sick, but reconciliation is a cure like no other.
James then gives the example of Elijah to encourage us. He says, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours” (James 5:17). Elijah struggled with sin just like we do, and yet when he “prayed fervently that it might not rain,” it didn’t rain for three and a half years. “Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit” (v. 18).
Elijah’s request was for the spiritual well-being of Israel. He longed to see Israel repent of their idolatry, so he asked God to withhold the rain. When our prayers are for the holiness God desires for us and those around us, we will see God move in powerful ways. But when our prayers are purely self-motivated, we will ask and not receive because we’re asking with wrong motives (James 4:3).
Godly living in an ungodly world takes spiritually focused prayer. The prayer of faith is the most effective and efficient tool we have against spiritual opposition, and yet I’d say, it’s our most underused weapon of warfare.
It’s not easy to live holy and righteous lives, especially with a persistent sin nature and numerous daily distractions. The solution is to pray, continually taking each other before the throne of grace. Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself, or on behalf of those who are straying. We’ve heard it said that we’re stronger together, and nowhere is that truer than in prayer.
(For examples of how to use Scripture when you pray click HERE.)
Cover Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
