In concluding his letter, James speaks on prayer in the only passage in his letter that doesn’t have a direct parallel in the Sermon on the Mount. Actually, this is one of the strongest statements concerning the power of prayer in the entire New Testament, and if you are like me, it’s also one of the most challenging. Oh yes, it’s all well and good to read about the power of prayer, but we live in a “sophisticated” time of knowledge and science, and we are likely to find some of James’ comments quaint and folksy, but hardly 21st century! Yet, there it is, what are we going to do with it?
Verses 13-15 deal with trouble, happiness and sickness, and with trouble and sickness we are urged to pray, while in happiness we are told to praise. Verse 15 is challenging for us: “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” How are we to understand this? If you have been with me on our journey through Colossians, 1,2 & 3 John, 1&2 Peter, Galatians, Hebrews, Jude and now James, surely you have an idea of what is going here… don’t you? Each of these books tells us clearly to change our focus away from our earthly understanding and put it onto a heavenly understanding of things. Sickness is a physical affliction, and while that can be a very rough thing to deal with (persevere is a word that comes to mind) it is not the end game.
So often we have looked at things like this, and when the outcome, at least in physical terms, wasn’t the one we expected or hoped for, we let someone convince us that we didn’t have enough faith. Did it ever occur to anyone that our prayer wasn’t within God’s will for the person? I know this can be hard, yes I’ve been there too, but maybe God had a better plan for the sick person than leaving them here in this vale of tears.
Do we really believe that what we believe is really real?
If so, prayer isn’t about getting what we want from God, it’s about getting what God wants for others. Yes, that is a thought worth reflecting upon…
Notice that verse 16 begins with “therefore”
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
In verse 15, we saw that prayer would make the sick person “well”. The word translated “well” is also the word that is used for salvation. Even more interesting, the verse ends by saying their sins will be forgiven: Therefore… verse 16. This should be a familiar pattern for setting context by now, what is James actually teaching? It would appear that the higher priority is on being healed from our sin, and oh yes, if the Lord wills it, from sickness too.
Verses 17 and 18 give us the example of Elijah as a great man of prayer, and then we come to 19-20:
My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
James 5:19-20
Have you ever wandered off the path, maybe not even realizing it, and then you found yourself rather far afield of where you should have been in your faith? Well, I have! Whoever helps someone back from one of these wandering periods saves them from death and covers a multitude of sins. I hope you will take special note of two things:
1. This is the last verse in this passage, summing up its contents. With this in mind, when James is talking about healing sick persons through prayer, what is he really getting at?
2. This is also the ending of the letter, summing up its contents: What is the letter, and all of this moral instruction here for?
To complete our tour of James, we’ll wrap this up in the next two posts tomorrow with some thoughts on the book’s message and application for us today, see you there!
Life Project Blog 
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Thank you!
I think offering a prayer of faith in healing situations magnifies God’s power and sovereignty. All healing is of God and in accordance with His perfect will. When I anoint folks with oil in healing circumstances, I begin with, “I pray this prayer of faith…” The most amazing account of healing in my ministry involved a fellow pastor who had prostate cancer. One Sunday morning I brought the congregation to his church to pray for him. Two weeks later, he reported his cancer was completely eradicated without any treatment. The Holy Spirit prolonged his ministry and edified the saints of our churches. God is still in the miracle business.
Yes he is, thanks for telling us about it!
My wife had a Kidney and Liver Transplant last year after 182 times in the hospital. Thanks to the prayers of the family and my congregation, we were able to witness so many miracles. I to this day have witnessed first hand the power of prayer. Thank you for this article
Wade
Info@allChoralWorks.com
http://www.allchoralworks.com
Thank you for sharing that Wade!
Thank you for pointing out the strong connection between the apostolic writers and Jesus’ teachings. The more I study the apostles, the more I realize the tremendous impact Jesus’ teachings had on them. I had never compared James with the sermon on the mount, but will do so.
PRAYER. is it only me? At church gatherings, when hearing the inevitable question, “Are there any prayer request?” I take a deep breath and pray for patience. Surely we can find things for God to do other than heal Aunt Tilly’s arthritis. We might pray for our lost neighbors. Or pray our church, will hear Christ’s call to develop stronger mutual care and love for each other. We might pray for our leaders to hear God’s call to connect with other spiritual leaders in prayer and cooperation. Above all, we could pray to be filled with God’s Spirit of love, which I especially need. (Rom. 5:5)
Too funny! We’re similar in church too!
I have struggled with this passage for a long time. This post has brought some encouraging enlightenment. I look forward to reading your next two posts.
May God bless you!
Thank you, see you tomorrow!
Physical healing is temporary spirtial healing eturnal. Great post as always!
I am a bit of a hypochondriac. Funny story this last week I was afraid I might be getting a UTI. I got online and looked up home remedies. One suggested taking baking soda in water another apple cider vinager. I decided to try both. First the baking soda then the vinager. After downing the baking soda I then drank the vinager. However, Just as i was finishing off the vingar it accures to me that the two mixed together might make me explode. So, then I was total freaked out. The good news is I did not explode and again I am sure The Lord got a good laugh in.
I was thinking the same thing reading it: baking soda, vinegar… and sugar, mixing with acid! Yikes, like a bio-bomb! Well, I’m glad you’re OK!
Yep, probably a miracle happened right there, then. I can see It now- poor woman Tragically killed by self induced bio-bomb. Film at 11 : )
🙂