We all were kids once. There were definitely times that we wanted something so badly, and we asked again and again (and maybe again)! “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16b Read by itself, this can be easily misconstrued. How easy it would be to stop there and run with the mindset that if we pray fervently enough, we have the power to make things go our way. But in this case – and context – let us remember James’ warnings earlier in his letter about our selfish desires and asking with wrong motives. And let us choose to understand what God is really saying.
When we back up to verse 13, James reminds us that if we are in trouble, in any kind of suffering, we should pray. If we are happy, we should sing praise! As believers we can approach the Lord with anything and everything, in reverence and praise. And then we come to verses 14-15: If we are sick, [call the elders to pray over and anoint with oil, and the prayer in faith will make the sick person well]. Let’s stop there. Or should we? The rest of verse 15 says, “If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” Hm, this tells us it’s not about a physical sickness. Verse 16 continues with, “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Now it becomes clearer that the “sick” in these verses isn’t about the physical sick.
In The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, we learn that the Greek word used for “sick” in verse 14 means “to be weak”. This form of the Greek word was used throughout the Epistles of the New Testament in reference to a weak faith or weak conscience. And the Greek form of “sick” in verse 15 literally means “to be weary.” If we pull together the context of “anyone suffering, anyone happy, anyone sick”, James is writing about anyone who has grown morally and/or spiritually weak in the midst of their suffering, with a reminder to not forget to praise God too. In The Message version, verse 16 is broken down as, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.”
Coming alongside each other, bearing each other’s burdens, discipling, praising and praying together, guides us into right, powerful, effective prayer. The example of Elijah in verses 17-18 shows powerful prayer that was focused on God’s kingdom: Ahab was spiritually destroying Israel, and Elijah was fighting for God’s kingdom. And verses 19-20 relate the point again of coming alongside each other, lifting up those who have grown weary and guiding them in the right direction.
Please let me be clear, I am not saying we shouldn’t ask God for physical healing, or that it’s not biblical to fervently pray for relief from our sufferings, strength to make it through them, and so on. We are to come to God “by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, letting our requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippian 4:6-7 We are to come to Him in prayer and belief.
My challenge in these words today is to make sure we are keeping God’s Words in context with what He is teaching us, and not what we want to hear, and also to keep on digging and delving into His Word! It is by God’s Spirit that we can overcome and live righteous, powerful, effective lives for Him.