Title: The priority of Prayer

Text: James 5: 13 - 18

Date: 9-19-04.am

The passage we’re looking at this morning is one of the most confusing in Scripture. It has been used as a proof text for a variety of doctrinal positions. It is one of the foundational passages for the doctrine of last rights, and the doctrine of confessing to a priest. It is often used by faith healers to prove that if a person really has faith they will be healed of any and all types of disease.

Thesis Statement: The focal point of these verses, it’s central message however is not about healing or anointing with oil it is about prayer. The concept of prayer occurs seven times. The word pray or a form of it is used in every verse. And while the peripheral issues may be confusing for us, the central idea of what James says is that genuine or active faith involves prayer. Through out this letter James has been explaining to us that genuine faith is active faith. It is dynamic, it impacts and governs every area of life.

James 5:13-18

13     Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.

14     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;

15     and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

16     Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

17     Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18     And he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit. (NAS)

James concludes his letter much the same way he began it. In chapter 1 verse 2-5 and in the larger context James urged Christians to endure trails with patience and even with rejoicing. In verses 7-12 of chapter 5 James focus was again on patience in trials and on prayer. I read where someone said the message of James is to hang on and call for air support. Our focus this morning is calling for air support. The entire body of Christ is included in this passage on prayer. James calls for the individual Christian to pray in verse 13. In verse 14-15 it is the leadership of the church and verse 16 involves the entire congregation in prayer.

Let’s look first at the individual. James writes in verse 1 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.

The word translated suffering in verse 1 can refer to a variety of situations that cause suffering in our lives. Those kinds of experiences are as numerous and varied as the stars in the sky. We could probably be here weeks listing situations that cause suffering in our lives. I’m sure each of you could write out a long list right now. I believe contextually James is referring to those who are suffering under persecution and trails that he referred to in the previous verses particularly because he deals with sickness in the following verses. At the same time the wording would allow inclusion of any other cause of suffering including sickness. Regardless of the source of the suffering the proper response is the same, that is to pray. To communicate with God about the situation, to seek relief for sure but more important to seek God’s strength, His comfort, His peace and His will in the face of any type of affliction.

On the flip side he wrote if anyone is cheerful they are to sing praises. The singing of praises here is also a form of prayer or communing and communicating with God. We as Christians often seem to fall into the pattern of coming to God when things are not going well while assigning Him a spot off stage as it were when things are going well. James reminds us to give God the glory. Paul gives a similar message when he writes rejoice in the Lord always ( Phil 4:4). When we are struggling with the burdens of life we are to be in constant communication with the Lord and as we receive His peace and assurance in our situation we are to rejoice, not because of our affliction and not necessarily because of our healing although that may be the case but because we can come to Him and we are assured of His presence in our lives and assured of being His own possession and assured of salvation and our position in eternity. In the face of affliction we often have to be reminded of our certain and sure hope and our victory in Jesus.

The next two verses are really confusing to us, but again we need to look at the central message of what James writes which is prayer.

14     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;

15     and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

James addressed first the individual and now the leadership of the church in prayer. That’s the most important part of these verses. There is a prescription here for those in the church who are sick. We want to put this in the historical context recognizing first century Christians didn’t have the access to medical care we have today. For the Jews the priest was also the doctor and oil was used medicinally. There is nothing here, however, to suggest that Christians should not see Doctors or take medicine. James said previously every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above which includes Doctors and medicines. But this passage does recognize the true source of healing which is the Lord God the great Physician.

It is the sick person who initiates the action by calling for the elders of the church to come to them. I won’t go into a study of the word elder this morning but suffice it to say it refers to specifically to the pastor or pastors and deacons and may include other mature believers who have leadership in the church. It is important for us to see and understand this is an exercise of faith by the person who is sick, not a means of last resort. In other words we are to call on the elders of the church to pray for our sickness because of our faith in God, not because we’ve tried everything else and nothing seems to work so this can’t hurt. There is a big difference in perspective there. The sick person must exercise faith not futility.

Once this happens the leaders of the church come, and this doesn’t mean this can’t take place in a corporate worship service, it can and sometimes does. We are not as familiar with it taking place in Baptist church as it does is some other denominations but if it does you don’t have to get all freaked out wondering if you’ve been in a cult service there is a biblical basis for it. However, it most often occurs in private.

The leaders come and they “pray.” They obviously pray for healing, but just as individual prayer the most important part of prayer is that God’s will be accomplished. James says they are to pray then anoint the person with oil in the name of Jesus. The question most often asked, Is this anointing medicinal or symbolic? There are differing views even among conservative scholars. Olive oil was used for it’s medicinal powers, it was also used in symbolic ways. In the first century it may well have been used medicinally. I believe, however, it is symbolic of the Spirit’s power and presence but remember it is really a secondary issue. I don’t want to say it’s not important but the emphasis of what James is writing is on the prayer not the oil.

The anointing is to be done in the name of the Lord whether medicinal or symbolic. When we say in the name of the Lord we are not talking about a mechanical ritual phrase. The Bible makes it clear that when we pray or do anything else in the name of the Lord we are talking about doing it in the will of God. When Jesus said in John 14:14 anything you ask in my name I’ll do it. He’s not saying if you ask for a Hummer and add the phrase in Jesus name you’ll get it. He’s talking about asking according to His will and the same applies here. The anointing is applied seeking God’s will to be done.

Verse15 makes it clear it’s not the anointing but the prayer offered in faith. That accesses the Lord’s power and to restore the person who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. (NAS)

Much of confusion here comes because some say this is an absolute promise, that this kind of prayer offered in faith will absolutely heal the person who is sick unequivocally. That if the person isn’t healed it’s because of a lack of faith. Is that what James means? What happens when God does not heal? Is there a lack of faith or unconfessed sin?

Let’s look first at the biblical example. Consider Paul, who had himself been given the gift of healing. Three times Paul prayed for deliverance from his own thorn in the flesh which most people believe was a physical problem related to his eyes and he was not healed. Paul wrote in 2 Cor 12:7 there was a purpose to his thorn in the flesh and God’s will was not to remove it. God’s words to Paul about this condition are record in 2 Cor 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." (NAS)

It also seems that Paul was not able to heal everyone he wanted to. We read in Phil 2:27 about Epaphroditus it seems to indicate Paul couldn’t heal him and it was only by God’s grace he recovered. Also in 2 Tim 4:20 we find Paul had to leave behind Trophimus, a companion on his 3^rd missionary sick in Miletus. So if there is an absolute promise Paul wasn’t aware of it.

The second thing for consideration is that even in the case of miraculous healing no one is lives forever, Enoch and Elijah were taken without facing death other than that sickness or affliction will sooner or later claim us all. So James can’t mean this as an absolute promise.

Third praying for God’s will to be accomplished is primary in any prayer of faith. It may not be His will for us to be healed or the person we are praying for to be healed. If we are praying in faith we don’t pray God heal me even if it isn’t your will or heal this person even if it’s not your will and because I have asked in Jesus’ name you have to do it. Like Jesus we are to pray that if possible this cup pass from us but never the less not my will but your will be done. Praying in this way is not resignation but acceptance. Genuine faith understands God’s ultimate will is perfect.

God does still heal, He is still in the miracle business make no mistake about it. If He chooses to heal or if he chooses not to heal God is God.

We will never be completely free of affliction while we are in this world. We will never be all that we are intended to be in this world. As wonderful as we might have it in this world this is not all there is and ultimately we will never be completely restored until we lay aside the physical body.

I know we haven’t touched on the nature of sin and it’s relationship to healing in this passage. But again the emphasis is on the sufficiency of prayer.

In the progression of prayer James has gone from the individual, to the church leadership and now he includes the entire fellowship in the matter of prayer. We are instructed to pray for one another. This is an imperative we are to constantly be in prayer for one another.

The idea of confession here means that we are to acknowledge to one another our imperfection that we are not perfect people, that we stumble, we fall, we sometimes speak out of turn, we sometimes say and do things we shouldn’t, we are all sinners saved by the grace of God who stand in need of prayer.

The old spiritual says it’s me, it’s me, it’s me O Lord standing in the need of prayer, not my brother or my sister, not my mother or my father, not the pastor or the sinner it’s me O Lord standing in need of prayer. I can tell you right now it’s me standing in the need of prayer and it’s you standing in the need of prayer and not only are we standing in the need of prayer. We stand in need of being prayers as well, praying constantly for each other.

James uses the example of Elijah in verse 17 & 18 to show the power of ordinary men who are prayers. And his entire message is summed up in the last part of verse 16: “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

In the KJV is says The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. In the NIV it is The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. The Living Bible reads The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.

My own paraphrase says The intensely serious prayer of a Christian of good character and faith fully committed to the will of God is awesome and can accomplish wonderful and miraculous things.

It begins with a personal relationship with Christ and we always invite people to make that decision to receive the free gift of salvation offered through faith in Christ Jesus. It continues as those of us who have trusted Him for salvation surrender to Him in obedience and walk by faith. We challenge you this morning wherever you are in you walk with Christ to surrender all to Him today, every area of you life and to make prayer a priority of your faith.