“THE POWER OF OTHERS PRAYERS FOR YOU”

James 5:14-16a

INTRODUCTION Have you ever asked someone to pray for you? Have you ever wanted to ask, but held back for one reason or another? Have you ever heard others ask for prayer and wondered if you would ever be able to ask for prayer for yourself? The apostle Paul made a straightforward plea to the church at Thessalonica "Brothers, pray for us" (1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1). I love its simplicity. It is emotionally understated. Can you hear the depth of need this apostle feels for God's help and where he goes to get that help? We hear it again with more vehemence in Romans 15:30. "Strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." Here is a great man. He has great gifts and great experiences with God. He is a brilliant intellect. He is a valiant spiritual warrior. He is a chosen instrument of God. And he pleads for prayer. "Pray for me." "Strive with me in your prayers to God for me." Why did Paul ask for help? First, because he knew that there were things that he could not accomplish by himself. Secondly, he knew that God has ordained that the prayers of others were the vehicle through which God would accomplish His purposes in and through Paul.

That is what James is addressing here in verses 14-16. James has been teaching us that all of life should be lived with a God-ward, God-centered, God-directed, God-dependent, God-exalting focus. In every situation, remember God. So we saw first, “Is anyone among you suffering? Pray. Then “is anyone cheerful? Sing praises” Now today James asks a third question, “Is any one of you sick?” He answers that important question of sickness in the life of a believer by introducing to us a wonderful way that God helps us through the prayers of others. In his great love and wisdom, God has called us into the body of Christ, the church. We are not to go through life alone. As members of this body, we can reach out and support others, as well as ask for their support. We are available to show each other God’s love and to be co-laborers with him within this body. This is as God intends. One of the most powerful ways that we can show God’s love to each other, and to co-labor with him, is to pray for each other.

I. THE SUFFERER-“Is any one of you sick?”(Verse 14a) James talks about someone who needs prayer. James describes this person as "sick." We need to understand what the original language of Scripture is saying here. Especially in the context that James has been teaching on suffering. In the Greek, this passage uses two different Greek words for being sick. The first has the root idea of weakness (asthenei) and the second in verse 15 the root idea of weariness (kamnonto). So James does not define the nature of the sickness; he simply says that if you are sick, if you have some ailment, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, if you are weak and weary, if you feel so beaten down that you cannot pray for yourself, if you have a need, if you are in that situation, you need help to stand. You need prayer, and it's time to call on God to help. And God will help, often times through the prayers of the church. I can’t think of a more relevant word to our lonely, isolated, independent, autonomous, unbelieving, and self sufficient times. We are not on individual, isolated spiritual journeys, where we only cross paths with one another here and there. Rather, we are pilgrims together with other saints. Thus James is saying here that… All of life should be lived with a God-ward, God-dependent focus, shared together with God’s people. Oh how we need a whole new or renewed theology of the body of Christ and how it is meant to function! If James is right, and of course he is; then there are some of us that are foolishly missing a blessing from God because they are going it alone in their sickness, weakness, and weariness.

II. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THOSE WHO ARE SICK- “He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord…pray for one another”(verse 14b) James clearly, directly, and practically responds to the question. When a believer is sick, he or she should call for prayer by the elders of the church, the spiritual leaders of his or her congregation or by his or her fellow Christians. Now I apply this to not only elders, but those who are leaders in the church, those who give the church spiritual guidance. Also, in the light of verse 16, ask your brothers and sisters for prayer. When you're physically sick, when you are feeling weak and beaten down, you may not feel you are getting through to God. You may even feel too weak to pray effectively. So you ask the elders and leaders and others to pray for you. Notice that it is the responsibility of the sick person to call the elders and not the responsibility of the leaders to find out who is sick! The leaders are not omniscient! Don’t expect that others should know when you need prayer! Tell us! The verb “call” is in the imperative in the Greek; in other words, it is a command. Let me make an application at this point. When you are sick, call the elders or leaders or your brothers and sisters to pray for you. Those who are sick glorify God in their dependency and contribute to the life of the church by bringing their needs to be ministered to by requesting God to heal them through the prayers of others in the name of the Lord. What could possibly be wrong by doing that? Why don’t some of us do that? If you have not yet begun to let others pray

For you, what has stopped you? I can think of only two reasons why people do not call on others in the church to pray. One reason is ignorance: members did not know that they were supposed to ask for prayer from others when they are ill or weak. Having just explained this passage to you, you are now no longer ignorant! And the second reason is foolish pride: members did not want to call on others to pray for them because of unwillingness to ask for help. Do you feel that it is a sign of weakness to want someone to pray for you? Oh brothers and sisters, asking someone to pray for you isn’t a sign that you are weaker than other men or women. It means you know God’s strength, his wisdom, his power, and his love for you. It means you know the amazing power of prayer. Others will not see it as a sign of weakness. It is an act of wisdom and spiritual maturity to pray and ask others to pray for you. Others may not be able to mend a struggling marriage, help raise challenging children, tell you what the perfect decision is or to cure your illnesses. They may not be able to do any of this, but they can pray on your behalf to the one who can do all of this and more. A cry for help from the heart of a child-like Christian is sweet praise in the ears of God. Nothing exalts God more than the collapse of self-reliance which issues in a passionate plea for prayer. James is suggesting to us that God glorifies Himself through someone praying for you and that you are just a prayer away from being healed, strengthened, encouraged, and restored. Notice how clearly this teaching corresponds to James chapter 4:2-3, “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” We often times do not have for the simple reason that we do not ask. This is very important. Let me urge you as strongly as I can: if you are sick, if you are struggling, if you are depressed, discouraged, weak, or weary, you should call others in the church to pray for you. It is a sign of faith and dependence upon God for Christians to do this.
III.THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE LEADERS AND THE BODY- “…pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord…pray for one another” Just as it is the duty of the sick person to call for the leaders of the church, so it is the duty of the leaders of the church to pray over him. Over and over, James encourages us to pray. Sometimes we pray alone such as James exhorts when we are suffering (verse 13); but often times we pray together, praying for others and having others pray for us (verses 14,16a). The word “pray” is also in the imperative (i.e., a command) in the Greek. James directs the elders to “pray over him. The expression, "pray over," seems to indicate either that the person is in bed so that the elders gather around him for prayer or perhaps that they lay their hands on him in prayer. Quite simply, whether the elders lay their hands on the sick person as an expression of their oneness in concern for him or whether they simply gather around him to pray for him, the primary concern is that they pray. James exhorts us to pray for one another in verse 16 as well for healing. Prayer is the coupling of the limp wire of our humanity to the lightning bolt of heaven. How astonishing it is that God works through people. It is doubly astonishing that God fulfills His plans by being asked to do so by us. God loves to bless his people. But even more so, He loves to do it in answer to our prayers!

They are also to anoint the sick with oil. Anointing in the Scriptures is usually associated with consecrating or setting apart someone for special service or attention. In this respect oil is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who indwells and watches over each believer (cf. 4:5).⁷ So the applying of oil to the sick is a rich symbolic act - setting the sick apart to be ministered to in a special way by the Holy Spirit.

When we pray for someone we must pray "in the name of the Lord." This is one of the most significant phrases in the New Testament. Some have used the name of the Lord as though it were a 'lucky rabbit's foot' to accompany healing declarations or a mechanical repetition of a phrase. The simple word “name” gives us all the clues we need. The Greek word is onoma which is made up of the same root of the noun nous (mind) and the verb ginosko (to know). This explains why in the Bible a persons name often times not only identifies who a person is but what he is. It is a revelation of His mind, character, and personality. Applying the principle to the situation before us, the name of the Lord, is equivalent to the active presence of Jesus Christ in His revealed nature and character. So to pray for someone in the name of the Lord Jesus is to ask Jesus what He would want to give that person. It is because of Jesus that we are able to approach the throne of God and receive the grace we need-in this case, the answer to our prayer.

IV. THE RESULT OF THE PRAYER- “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…pray for one another that you may be healed” (verse 15) When you give prayer its proper priority in your life and have the people God has designated praying for your need, the Bible makes this great promise. James expects to see physical, emotional, and spiritual healing and restoration among God’s people who pray in faith. That is why James speaks about forgiveness if the sickness has been due to sin. What should we make of this verse? Remember that James was talking about not only sickness but weakness and weariness. The word James uses for “save” (Greek sozo) often times means restore. So when the elders, leaders, and others pray over sick, tired, weak, defeated, and broken believers and they are healed, delivered from their weaknesses and restored to spiritual wholeness. These prayers are a channel for the power of God! That is why James says, “The Lord will raise him up”. This is language of resurrection, renewal, and revival for the weak. Whether the need is physical, emotion, or spiritual the Lord uses prayer for resurrection power and life. This helps us to see why we must pray for others and yet understand why God answers the prayer with what God chooses to give to the sick, weak, and weary. Sometimes it is physical healing, sometimes it’s not. God knows what we need and God uses prayers of others to meet that need according to his will! Sometimes the real need is for forgiveness, or for strength, encouragement, empowerment, always restoration and renewal. This helps us to understand why people aren’t always physically healed. If this passage were guaranteeing physical healing, every time a believer got sick, all we would have to do is have the elders go over with a vial of oil and the person would be healed. I have seen instant healing, gradual healing, and deterioration and death.

So, the understanding of verse 15 depends on the definition of "the prayer offered in faith," or as it literally reads, "The prayer of faith." What are we to understand about this healing prayer? First, what is faith? Paul says in Romans 14:23, “Whatever does not come from faith is sin”. Listen to how the amplified bible puts it, “For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful].” Applying this to our text, the prayer offered in faith, is the prayer offered with a definite conviction that it has God’s approval. Heb 11 tells us it means a sureness of what we hope for, a certainty of what we do not see -A passionate conviction that God is present and active in our lives -That He rules the world with goodness and justice -That every drop of rain — every cell within our bodies is governed by His will -That God is none other than wise in everything He does -That He is wholly capable — a God without limitation -That He is the One who controls the wind, holds the ocean in His palm, numbers the stars and calls each by name, raises the dead, and heals the sick -That He does as He wills in every circumstance -That He cares — that He is passionate for us — rather than impassive -That He honors faith. Now how does this tie in to the promise of James here? There is a law of scripture that points to the success of the prayer offered in faith at least 7 times. For example, "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him" (1 John 3:21, 22, also read (Matthew 18:19-20; John 14:13; 15:16;16:23; 1 John 5;14). From this we understand that the prayer of faith is not something we can manufacture by saying "I believe, I believe, I believe, I really believe, I truly believe, I double believe!" On that evidence it is clear that all the laws of prayer are governed by this one principle: To be successful, prayer must be according to God’s will. We can alter God’s will by our claims, love, care, sincerity, goodness, persistence, not even by our faith! In short, if God doesn’t will it, nothing will accomplish what we want! God’s results will come to pass and happy is the person who is satisfied with the fulfillment of God’s will rather than their own. So we can pray and must pray for the sick and know that God has ordained prayer, He hears our prayer, and He answers that prayer according to His will and sometimes His will is to heal us and sometimes it is not. But answer it He will! The prayer of faith begins with a great and mighty and sovereign God and it ends with God as the sovereign one who does his will. What is the effect of acknowledging that all of our petitions are subject to the will of God? To say, ‘Thy will be done’ does not impose a restriction on what we ask; it lifts the restrictions.” So, we pray and ask God to heal, forgive, restore, strengthen, encourage, empower, the person who is sick, knowing that God will act in accordance with what he knows is best for that person. Our duty is to trust God and know that he makes no mistakes. Penned by a Civil War soldier—who came to grips with all of this… “I asked God for strength that I might achieve I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey I asked for power that I might have the praise of men I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God I asked for all things that I might enjoy life I was given life that I might enjoy all things I got nothing I asked for—but everything I hoped for.” The whole issue of prayer is the glory of God: first, glory in obedient and humbly asking for prayer and the faith that God heals in response to others prayer. Secondly, the glory in the obedience, love, care, and faith of those who pray for the sick. Finally, glory in the One who is working out His sovereign will by healing, forgiving, restoring, comforting, and strengthening, through the prayers of others.

CLOSING THOUGHTS So what should you do when you are ill, weak, depressed, or struggling? Ask others to pray for you. Experience the mighty power of prayer in your life through asking others to pray for you this week and through praying for those who ask for your prayers as they reach the listening ear of our almighty God. Let us believingly, lovingly, consistently, confidently, expectantly, and faithfully pray for those who are sick, weak, weary, defeated, struggling, broken, and fallen. Let us leave the results to my sovereign Lord who heals who He wills, yet often times chooses to do it through the prayers of His people like you and me.