YOU CAN PRAY WITH PRAYER!

James 5:16b-18

INTRODUCTION Tradition tells us that James, the author of this letter and the brother of Jesus, was given a very unusual nickname by the Christians in the early church. They called him “Old Camel Knees.” The Early Church historian, Eusebius, wrote the following account of James: “James was often in the habit of entering the temple alone and was often found on bent knees interceding for the people, so much so that his knees became as hard as a camel’s knees in consequence of his habitual kneeling before God.” There may be no way of confirming the legend, but one only has to read through his letter to know that he was deeply concerned with the matter of prayer and anxious to impress its importance on his readers. In the very opening part of his letter, he writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault; and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt” (1:5, 6); later, in examining the reasons for men's failures in the matter of prayer, he says, “You do not have, because you do not ask God” (4:2) and adds, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (4:3). And so as “Old Camel Knees” begins to draw this letter to a close we should not be surprised to find that the topic of prayer closes his concluding paragraph. From verses 13-18 prayer is mentioned no less than seven times. Within six verses there are seven reminders to pray.
In verse 13 James refers to the importance of prayer during times of trouble as well as during times of happiness. In verses 14-15 James refers to the importance of prayer during times of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual sickness and weakness. In verse 16a James called us to pray for each other. Now in verse 16b, we have before us perhaps one of the strongest encouragements to prayer found in the Scripture. We see here that prayer is powerful to change our lives and to change the situations we find ourselves in. And then in verses 17-18 James uses the example of Elijah to remind us of the power and effectiveness of prayer.
I. THE ENCOURAGEMENT: PRAYER IS POWERFUL IN ITS WORKING- verse 16b Perhaps the very first thing to be said about the sentence we are examining at the moment is that there is much more to it than meets the eye. This becomes clear from the great variety of words employed by the various English translations in trying to capture the meaning of the original language, and although the ESV is as smooth as any, it is hard-pressed to do justice to all that James wrote.

1. The Kind of Prayer that is Powerful The first sense that James is concerned with is the power of prayer that comes across in the particular word `prayer' he uses here. It is not the most common New Testament word for prayer, which is proseuche; instead, James uses the distinctive word deesis. The significance of this is that whereas proseuche refers to what we could call prayer in general, deesis puts the emphasis on specific prayers for specific needs. It’s the only time James uses this word. It has a feeling of urgency and importance about it. In ancient Greek it was commonly addressed to ruling kings and in the New Testament it is exclusively used in addressing God. Combining the greatness of the need and the greatness of the person to whom it is addressed, perhaps the English word `supplication' comes nearest to capturing its precise nuance.

2. The prayer of the righteous is as powerful as the God to whom we pray. There is no inherent power in prayer itself, but rather that prayer links us to God who is all-powerful. James begins the sentence (in Greek) with “great power” or some translations say "availeth much." This translates the Greek adjective ischuei, which literally means “is very strong” to emphasize how much prayer can accomplish. This simply means that prayer is able to "accomplish much more than was expected." The reason being because of what Paul describes it this in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us”. When we pray in faith, it unlocks the great potential of God to work in our world, in our lives, and the lives of others. Prayer is the coupling of the limp wire of our humanity to the lightning bolt of heaven. And so, as E. M. Bounds puts it, “Prayer can do anything that God can do.”

3. Prayer is powerful because of the energy of the One who answers. James has just one word to describe this: he says that it is has great power ‘as it is working or dynamic in its working (Amplified)’. The particular word he uses here is the Greek energoumene, from which we get our word energy and the most important point to be made about it is that throughout the New Testament it is almost invariably used of God’s energy at work. That is why James says that it is effective. James point is that whether your need is physical, emotional, or spiritual, prayer is very powerful. During the fourth century the city of Antioch in Syria produced one of the greatest preachers of the church, John of Antioch. Because of his careful exegesis, unrelenting moral application, and unmatched eloquence he was given a nickname which became his storied title, Chrysostom, "golden-mouthed." This appellation was well-deserved, as is evidenced by his description of the power of prayer, perhaps the most exciting account ever given: “The potency of prayer has subdued the strength of fire, it has bridled the rage of lions, hushed anarchy to rest, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, expanded the fates of heaven, assuaged diseases, dispelled frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. There is (in it) an all-sufficient panoply, a treasure undiminished, a mine which is never exhausted, a sky unobscured by clouds, a heaven unruffled by the storm. It is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings!”

4. The qualification for prayer is a righteous believer Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, so much for me becoming a prayer warrior!” While the word righteous sounds daunting, it should not threaten us if we think about it properly. The "righteous man" whose prayers are effective is not a person who is righteous in his own righteousness. But this refers, rather, to a person who is righteous in the righteousness of Christ. All Christians are righteous positionally, as they have received righteousness from God" (Romans 1:17; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 3:9b). The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry" (Psalm 34:15). Proverbs states positively, "The Lord . . . hears the prayer of the righteous" (Proverbs 15:29). When the righteous pray for each other, there is power! We need to remember that prayer links us with the omnipotent God, who spoke the universe into existence. He can interrupt the normal laws of His creation if He chooses, to accomplish His will. And, He has chosen that normally He accomplishes His will through the prayers of His righteous people. And so we should pray big prayers and expect God to accomplish much through them, according to His purpose and glory. Prayer works! Or, to put it more accurately, God works through prayer. So James’ theme is: the prayer of the righteous is very powerful in its working. Then he illustrates the theme:

II. THE POWER OF PRAYER ILLUSTRATED IN ELIJAH- verses 17-18 James has given us the doctrine on prayer, now he wants us to see it illustrated practically in the life of a believer. This is good teaching and great encouragement! Let’s see how it is done and then we can do it. Jonathan Edwards said, "There are two ways of representing and recommending true religion and virtue to the world; the one, by doctrine and precept; the other, by instance and example." So James begins by reminding us that “Elijah was a man just like us” (5:17a). The reason James makes such a statement is because he knows that when you and I read about Elijah in the Scriptures we are likely to think he is not at all like us. Elijah seems to be a little out of our league. The Scriptures tell us that Elijah was the man who stood unwavering before the wicked and powerful leaders Ahab and Jezebel with unbelievable courage (cf. 1 Kings 17-18). He marched in before the wicked, powerful King Ahab and announced that it would only rain by his word, and his word came true! He was miraculously fed by the ravens during the drought. He miraculously enabled the widow of Zarephath’s flour to be replenished throughout the drought. He raised her son from the dead. It was Elijah who, against the odds of 450 to 1, challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to a contest to see who was the true God (cf. 1 Kings 18). He called down fire from heaven to consume his waterlogged sacrifice in front of the 450 prophets of Baal. Then he ordered the execution of them all. Later, he called down fire to consume two groups of soldiers sent to arrest him. He parted the Jordan River to walk across. His final act was to be taken to heaven without dying in a chariot of fire. That’s the stuff legends are made of! It was Elijah who appeared with Moses at the time of Jesus’ transfiguration (cf. Luke 9:30-31). It was Elijah whom the people thought Jesus was calling when he was dying on the cross (cf. Matthew 27:47). And aside from Enoch, it was only Elijah who went to heaven without having to undergo physical death (cf. 2 Kings 2:11). It goes without saying that God used Elijah like few others in all of history. So the natural tendency is for us to see Elijah as a very special case, as a super saint, not like one of us. Surely he did not doubt God like we do. Surely he did not struggle like we do. A man like Elijah could be more of a hindrance to my prayer life than an encouragement, because I could think that he’s in a totally different league than I am. That’s why James says…

1. Although righteous, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.

James blows away that assumption in verse 17b by writing, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours”. I realize that Elijah was a man of great accomplishment, a man greatly used by God like very few others. But I want to assure you that this Elijah was no superman. He was weak just like we are. He had a human nature just like us. He had his struggles. He was just like us. Elijah was a man who suffered from frustration, fear, disappointment, depression, and anxiety. That’s James’ point! The glory of God shines bright in the lives of flawed saints! Often, we underestimate prayer because we do not understand how it works. It is not the power of the one who prays that counts. It is the power of the One to whom the prayer is directed that counts. Elijah is our example.
For example, after God’s crushing victory over Baal, in which the 450 prophets of Baal were routed and killed, Ahab told his wicked wife Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Amazingly, the Scripture says that “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life” (1 Kings 19:3). The mighty, fearless Elijah who stood against 450 priests on Mount Carmel was now afraid of one woman, Jezebel! Eventually, Elijah found himself in the desert, and again the Scripture says that Elijah was so depressed that he prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors” (1 Kings 19:4). Do you see that “Elijah was a man just like us”? He struggled with the same kinds of fears and anxieties and disappointments and so on that you and I have. He did not have some privileged status before God that we lack. He had his ups and downs, but he prayed and God answered. So even though you have your ups and downs, pray! The power of prayer is not with the man, but with our God. The question you might be asking is this, “If he is a man just like us, then why was it that God used him so mightily? How did someone just like us become one through whom the very forces of nature were controlled?”
2. The power of Elijah’s prayer was in the complete dependence upon the living God The answer is given to us by James in the next clause of verse 17. It was simply because he learned something that very few people learned in that generation or in any generation since: That is the power of prayer to the living God! James tells us in verse 17 that Elijah was a man who “prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three and a half years it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” The words translated “prayed fervently” may also be translated “prayed diligently, or prayed earnestly, or prayed with perseverance.” In spite of Elijah’s weaknesses and sin, the one thing he continued to do was to pray fervently. And as a result, God literally did not allow rain to fall for three and a half years. James’ words, “prayed fervently,” are literally, “prayed with prayer.” It is a Hebraism that signifies intensity. Elijah’s intensity in prayer was because he was one man up against a powerful godless king and queen, 450 of her idolatrous prophets, and an entire nation that had turned its back on the Lord. E.M. Bounds said,“Prayer is no petty duty, put into a corner; no piecemeal performance made out of the fragments of time which have been snatched from business and other engagements of life; but it means that the best of our time, the heart of our time and strength must be given. The praying which gives color and bent to character is no pleasant, hurried pastime. It must enter as strongly into the life as Christ’s “strong crying and sins out loud—then, rather tears” did; must draw out the soul into an agony of desire as Paul’s did; must be an inwrought fire and force like the “effectual, fervent prayer” of James; must be that of quality which, when put into the golden censer and incensed before God, works mighty spiritual throes and revolutions”So Elijah, being a man with a nature like ours, recognized his own inadequacy in the face of these powerful enemies. In short, he was in serious trouble! That led him to pray earnestly. And look what happened! Oh how powerful and effective the prayer of a righteous man just like us can be! Elijah prayed and as a result God actually caused the rain to stop for three and a half years!
If you think about all that matters most in life to God; what matters most in life cannot be produced by man, but only by God: new birth, conviction for sin, faith in Christ, forgiveness, a clean conscience, warm hearted devotion to Jesus, fruitful lives, love for the body of Christ, zeal for justice and purity, intensity in worship, boldness and meekness in witness to unbelievers, and fervor for missions -- for finishing the work the Lord has given us to do in the world. These are the important things in life. These are the essentials. But none of us, no matter how diligent or smart or good, can produce these essentials by yourselves. Prayer is the open admission that without Christ we can do nothing. And prayer is the turning away of ourselves to God in the confidence that He will provide the help that we need like King Asa in 2Chronicles 14:11, “Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you." So James is saying here, "If Elijah could pray and see things happen, so can you." The point is: Elijah was just like you so that you can be encouraged that YOUR prayers will have great effect—like stopping the rain for three and a half years.

CLOSING THOUGHTS May we take to heart the truth that God has ordained the prayers of his people as the primary means through which he has chosen to do his mighty acts in the world today. God, in his all-encompassing foreknowledge and in his infinite wisdom, has decreed to make the prayers of his people the cause of his triumph in the many battles of life: sin, sickness, persecution, temptation, spiritual warfare, and unbelief. No matter what you may now be facing, I want to remind you that our God is able to do beyond all that you could ever ask or think. I want to ask three questions that should motivate us to pray: 1. Do we live in overwhelmingly ungodly times? Pray! 2. Do we face circumstances that are far beyond our ability to change? Pray! 3. Do we sense personal inadequacy? Pray! I want to leave you today with the words of John Newton on prayer.” Come, my soul, thy suit prepare, Jesus loves to answer prayer; He Himself has bid thee pray, Therefore will not say thee nay. Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring; for His grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much.