Pray Like a Nobody ¥¤ZªºÃ«§iªÌ 8/31/2008

(James 5:13-18)

Let us open our Bible to the passage we read earlier in James 5:13-18.

The book of James was written to the first century Jewish Christians. They were Jews who believed Christ as their Savior. As James concludes his letter in chapter 5 he encourages the readers to pray. It is clear that this passage is about prayer because the word ¡§pray¡¨ or a related word appears in each verse. Since we¡¦ll have our All-Church Prayer Meeting today right after the message I thought it would be appropriate for us to review a few things on the teaching on prayer.

Let us have a prayer to the Lord before we study His Word.

To this day I have served in this church as a minister of Christ for exactly one year and a month. Every day is a learning experience to me. Very often as a minister I was asked to say prayer in various occasions. But interesting enough there are two situations where I was usually invited to pray ¡V closing prayer at a church meeting and saying grace at a meal. I don¡¦t know who set up that tradition. Is that because a minister is more spiritual and so his prayer will be more ¡§effective¡¨ to get the results we wanted? As we study this James passage we will see that every believer¡¦s prayer is equally effective. Because of that we must engage ourselves in the ministry of prayer. Here James tells us that there are four types of people who pray to God.

I. The Praying Believers ë§iªº«H®{

First, in v. 13 James encourages each believer as an individual to pray to God. He lists two occasions when we should pray.

A. In Bad Times ¦b°f¹Ò¤¤

In the first half of v. 13 James asks ¡§Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.¡¨ Here the word ¡§in trouble¡¨ has the same root as the word ¡§suffering¡¨ in v. 10 of the same chapter. One is a verb and the other is a noun. It is a general term for suffering due to different causes.

How should one react in times of trouble? James says we should pray, though he does not give us specific instruction on what to pray for in times of trouble. Logically, a person suffering from various kind of trouble will pray that God will remove the problem soon. But from the context in v. 10 to 11 of the chapter James encourages us to learn from the examples of the prophets and Job. They are good examples of patience in times of trouble. So the encouragement is, as we pray for God to remove the troubling situation at the same time we should also pray that God will give us endurance to go through the pain.

B. In Good Times¦b¶¶¹Ò¤¤

Not only that we have to pray in bad times but we also need to pray in good times. James goes on to say in the second half of v. 13 that ¡§Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.¡¨ Here ¡§sing songs of praise ºq¹|¡¨ is the word psallō in Greek, from which we derive the word psalm. It is obvious that when James asks us to sing songs of praise we do so to the Lord.

It is natural for Christians to commit our problems in prayer to the Lord for wisdom and guidance. The question is, do we always remember to rejoice in praise when we are in good times? I don¡¦t know about you but as absent-minded as I am, I always need to write down my petition to the Lord so that when He answers me I can remember to give praise to Him.

Notice James specifically urges us to sing songs of praise. Yes, we have to sing it out! I know some people may say ¡§I am not good at tunes.¡¨ If you care so much about your ¡§performance¡¨ then sing it in your car, during your shower or when no one is around. Just sing it to the Lord alone! I always encourage people to memorize some short hymns so that we can utter our praise to the Lord even when we have no song books or piano.

Years ago I learned a very simple song with a simple melody. The one-line lyrics go like: ¡§Thank you, thank you, Jesus in my heart.¡¨

The psalmist says: ¡§My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring Your splendor all day long.¡¨ (Ps. 71:8 §AªºÆg¬ü¡A§AªººaÄ£²×¤é¥²º¡¤F§Úªº¤f¡C) If petition is a natural instinct for Christians then praise should be a good habit to cultivate.

II. The Praying Elders ë§iªºªø¦Ñ

As believers we have to pray to the Lord in bad times and good. But in v. 14 and 15, James commands that when someone is sick he needs to call the elders of the church to pray for recovery. The passage seems to imply it is a serious physical sickness. No one would bother to call the elders for prayer if it is a cold or something minor. Also, the fact that the elders are summoned may indicate that the patient is bed-rested. In those days elders are the spiritual leaders of the church. They are similar to the pastors today. Indeed in our church we also call our two pastors General Elders. I can tell you that these two verses generate a lot of discussion among commentators throughout history. Let me tackle the questions one by one.

A. What is the purpose of anointing with oil? ©Ùªoªº¥\¥Î

It is known that oil has a medicinal function in the first century. For example, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan went to injured traveler ¡§and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.¡¨ (Luke 10:34) But if James only has the medicinal use of oil in mind why does it have to be done by an elder? Another possibility of the anointing of the oil has to do with its symbolic significance. In the Old Testament anointing symbolizes the setting apart of persons or things for God¡¦s use. The same is true in the New Testament. For example in Luke 4:18 Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1: ¡§The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor¡K¡¨ God anointed Jesus to set Him apart for the ministry of preaching the gospel. Therefore, I am leaning toward the symbolic meaning of the anointing that the elder is setting the patient apart for God¡¦s special attention in this prayer of request for healing.

B. How does this prayer of healing work? ë§iªºªG®Ä

1. God hears and God heals¯«²âÅ¥¨ÃÂåªv

James wants us to understand that it is the Lord who hears our prayer and it is He who grants healing to the sick. Verse 14 tells us that this prayer and anointing of oil is done in the name of the Lord. We are committing the patient in the hands of the Lord. Then in the middle of v. 15 James says ¡§the Lord will raise him up.¡¨ There is no magical power in the elders or the oil.

2. Faith«H¤ßªº¬èë

God¡¦s healing is a response to our faith. James says in v. 15 that ¡§the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.¡¨ Whose faith? Not the patient¡¦s but the elders¡¦. But in reality we do see many situations that after we prayed for a patient but he was not healed. Can we blame the elders? When we said we offer our prayer in faith of course we have faith in God¡¦s power, knowing that He can accomplish anything, including the healing of any disease. But at the same time when we offer our prayer in faith we have to acknowledge and submit to God¡¦s sovereignty whether or not He chooses to heal a particular person. John says in his gospel 15:7 ¡§If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.¡¨ We love the promise in the second half of the verse but we forget the condition listed in the first half.

C. Is every sickness a result of sin? ¥Í¯f¬O§_³£¬O¥Ç¸oªºµ²ªG

The last aspect we have to deal with in v. 15 is the relationship between sin and sickness. Is every sickness a result of sin? James¡¦ answer is no. He gives us a clue in the last part of v. 15 by saying that ¡§If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.¡¨ The conditional conjunction ¡§if¡¨ here helps us rule out the assumption that sickness is a result of sin. Of course we can think of the many incidences in the whole Bible where God uses sickness as a means to punish the wicked or to discipline His people. But it is not always the case. Therefore, when we pray for the sick we need to focus our attention on the healing, rather than asking the patient for confession of sin. But perhaps when a person has been bed-rest for a lengthy of time it is natural for him to reflect on his life. His relationship with God may be among those things. So if during the process of sickness the Spirit prompts this person of his sin then not only does he needs to pray for a physical but also a spiritual restoration.

Based on the teaching in these two verses we three pastoral staff went to pray for Haifang Wang in mid July. We did not rub any oil on her and we did not even lay our hands either. All we did was to sincerely lift up her needs to the Lord. We prayed that God would show mercy and bring healing. It is the teaching for the Bible and it is the privilege of the pastoral staff to pray for those who are sick. Notice that James encourages us to call for the elders but for wait for them to come. So please don¡¦t think that it is too troublesome to bother the elders when you are in need for prayer. We would love to stand with you in prayer.

III. The Praying Church ë§iªº±Ð·|

James switches focus in v. 16 and encourages not only the individual believers to pray or the elders to pray but that the church as a whole should pray together. The conjunction ¡§therefore¡¨ here signals us that James is making a conclusion of what he has shared above. On the context of prayer for healing of physical sickness James encourages the whole church to do two things.

A. Confess to one another ©¼¦¹»{¸o

Since v. 16 is a concluding remarks to the previous context here James is not referring to the confession of any sin we had committed to one another but those that might have been the cause for physical sickness. And such interpersonal sin may hinder our prayer. Psalm 66:18 reads ¡§If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.¡¨ Therefore, in James¡¦ mind he is not asking to hold confession meeting ¤½¼f¤j·|where each believer will share his own sin and ask the church for forgiveness. Rather if someone is having a serious sickness and the Holy Spirit reveals in his heart about his offense toward another believer then he should confess it so that nothing will hinder his prayer for healing to the Lord.

B. Pray for one another ¤¬¬Û¥N¨D

Not only do we have to confess our sins to one another we also have to pray for one another¡¦s healing. In saying so James reiterate ±j½Õthe fact that the privilege to pray for the sick does not belong to the elders only but to every believer in the whole church. Every believer whether he has a title in the church or not, is on the same ground as we pray. It matters not because of what position we hold but because of God who hears our prayer and responds in His healing power. That is why James concludes v. 16 by saying that ¡§The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.¡¨ The ¡§righteous man¡¨ is not one of those people who have a halo on his head. It is an ordinary believer who put his trust in Jesus Christ and is thus seen as righteous in God¡¦s eyes.

In view of this James desires for every church to become a praying church. I read a news article recently about a local Catholic church whose members signed up to pray around the clock. People take turn to arrive at the church and pray for various needs. The article says there are dozens of Catholic churches that have this practice around the U.S. I don¡¦t want to spend time and discuss the difference between the prayer of the Catholics and the Christians. But the fact that people are willing to get up in the middle of the night to spend time in prayer really encourages me a lot. I thought that church was exceptional until I heard the practice of another church on the Christian radio. Shadow Mountain Community Church, where Pastor David Jeremiah serves, also holds a round-the-clock prayer meeting where there are four people signed up to pray in each hour. Pastor Jeremiah once said in his program that his church will not consider starting any new ministry unless someone commits to pray for it.

From praying for one another in times of sickness allow me to stretch the teaching of this verse and apply it to praying for one another in every occasion. We desire to see the whole church comes together in prayer. That is why we organize this All-Church Prayer Meeting a few times a year. Besides that I encourage every one of you to meet with brothers and sisters in group prayer frequently. We have a regular Wednesday night prayer meeting from 7:30 to 9:00. If you are not attending any regular group prayer meeting I urge you to come to the church on Wednesday to pray with us. Even if you cannot come every week please consider make an effort to come every other week or even once a month.

IV. The Praying Prophet ë§iªº¥ýª¾

To illustrate what James has said above he quotes the experience of Elijah as an example. Elijah¡¦s story is recorded in 1 Kings chapters 17 to 19. He was a prophet sent by God to convict the sin of king Ahab of Israel. The whole nation suffered because of his idolatry. There are many things we can say about Elijah but James focuses on the incidence where Elijah prayed and rain stopped for three and a half years. Then he prayed again and rain fell.

There are a few things James would like to illustrate through Elijah¡¦s experience. First James emphasizes that ¡§Elijah was a man just like us.¡¨ I don¡¦t know how you feel but I was greatly comforted by that description. Sometimes when we read the stories of some prominent figures in the Bible we may look down on ourselves, thinking that we may never accomplish what these spiritual giants did. Once again James repeats the notion that it is not who prays that matters but it is God who works out wonder through a righteous person¡¦s prayer. Elijah could never make rain to fall or not fall on the ground. It was the Lord¡¦s mighty power. Elijah also represents one of the few righteous persons living in a sinful nation that bows before the false gods. It is God who uses Elijah¡¦s prayer to convict the nation and brings judgment to it.

CONCLUSION

We have learned this passage that our prayer works not because of who we are but because we have a God who listens to our prayer and works out wonders through our prayers. Because prayer is such a powerful tool every Christian needs to pray in every occasion, alone and together as a church. Our Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins so as to become the bridge between us and God the Father. Only through Him can we come to God and only then our prayers can reach God the Father. If you do not know this Jesus and do not have a personal relationship with Him how can your prayer be made known? It is like a telephone being unplugged. Your message simple vanishes in the air. But for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and trusted Him as their personal Savior and Lord our ¡§phone lines¡¨ are connected. We can bring all our requests to God in prayer and we can be confident that our prayers will be heard and answered.