LIVING ON A PRAYER by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC

Introduction: We just sang the familiar hymn:

“What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

The author, Joseph Scriven, was from Ireland. He moved to Canada when his fiancé drowned the night before their wedding. Tragically, his second fiancé also died due to pneumonia shortly before their wedding. In 1855, he wrote this song under the title “Pray without ceasing” for his mom back in Ireland who was gravely ill. Two years later, the song was published anonymously under the heading “What a friend we have in Jesus.” It was not until 1886 (30 years later), after Scriven himself died in a drowning accident, that it was revealed that he was the actual author of the song. Someone might say, “what a tragic life…” To the contrary, it would’ve been far more tragic without prayer. Today, we come to that portion of James where he is teaching us the importance of prayer, especially during suffering. Our message is titled – LIVING ON A PRAYER.

James 5 (page #1853-1854) 13 “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

Overall Background:  James has come to the end of his letter to the 12 dispersed tribes, but there is a matter that still needs to be discussed – prayer. Not just a matter of prayer but of prayer during times of sickness. It is one thing when you are financially struggling and you are praying for help. It is one thing when you are having a relationship conflict and you are praying for reconciliation. For those situations, there is always another day. It is a whole different matter when you are facing a suffering of some kind. It can be in your life or in the life of someone close to you. When your very life or that of a loved one is in pain, it takes on a whole different level of stress and pressure. By the way, this passage is primarily about physical healing, but I want to remind you that there is more than just the healing of the body:

• There are hearts that need to be healed. 
• There are minds that need to be healed. 
• There are souls that need to be healed. 
• There are churches that need to be healed. 
• There are homes that need to be healed. 

All these are subsumed under the category of prayer and suffering. FOUR IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER FOR HEALING:

I. IT IS IMPORTANT TO PRAY DURING SUFFERINGS.

James 5:13 (page #1853) “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray…”

Background: The word for suffering is “kakopathia” = every kind of suffering. In times like these, “proseuchomai.” The present tense of the verb translated “he must pray” suggests a continual pleading with God in prayer; it could be translated “let him keep on praying.” Don’t give up on prayer during times of sufferings. God cares about your sufferings. Don’t think that you are bothering God when you come to him in times of suffering. Jesus demonstrated to us how God feels when we bring our sufferings to him. In his brief ministry, he heard the cry of those suffering all the time:

• Matthew 8 (page #1501) 2 behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 And Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
• Matthew 8 (page #1501) 5 when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 Now And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
• Matthew 8 (page #1501) 14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.
• Matthew 8 (page #1502) 16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”
• Matthew 8:28 (page #1502) When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.
• Matthew 9:2 (page #1503) Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
• Matthew 9 (page #1503-04) 18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” 19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.
• Matthew 9 (page #1504) 20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.
• Matthew 9 (page #1504) 27 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” 28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened.
• Matthew 9 (page #1504) 32   As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. 33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!”
• Matthew 9 (page #1504) 35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

IF YOUR THEOLOGY CANNOT WORK IN THE HOSPITAL OR ON A SICK-BED OR IN A COUNSELLING SESSION OR AT A REHAB CENTER OR MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY, THEN YOUR THEOLOGY IS BROKEN.

Application:  It’s not wrong to pray for healing during times of suffering. We know that it is not always God’s will to heal but usually it is. God is compassionate and He cares about the physical pain and suffering of His creatures.

Psalms 103:13 “As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him.”

By the way, when you are sick – Go to God first. Thank God for medicines and doctors and technology but don’t come to God as the last resort. “Well, all you can do now is pray.”

If you feel better, James says: James 5 (page #1853) 13 “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.”

Background: The Greek word for cheerful is “euthumeo” = good passion or strong passion. It is not the opposite of being sick. Instead, it should be translated: “if you can take heart.” 

Application: Listen to some uplifting Christian music – hymn, praise and worship.

II. IT IS IMPORTANT TO ASK OTHERS TO PRAY FOR YOU.

James 5 (page #1853) 14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him…”

Background: There are times in each of our lives when due to physical weakness or discouragement; we lose our ability to pray fervently. In those moments, call the “elders.” Elders does not mean ‘elderly.’ It means ask the pastor to come and pray for you. Now, that’s okay in a small church. But when you have more people, then those who assist the pastor in care ministry can come and pray – Sunday school teachers and small group leaders or just spiritually mature people.

James 5:14 “…and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

Background:  Now what should we do about the “anointing with the oil?” Oil in the OT and NT was a sign of Refreshment and Healing and Encouragement. Psalms 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” Jesus told the Pharisees to anoint their head with oil so they would not appear to be fasting.

For e.g. Back where I grew up, we put coconut oil in our hair. It was to Oil would make your hair look shiny and clean. When I came to the States I brought some with me. One early morning when it was cool and crisp, I put some in my hair. I looked like I had taken some icing off a cake and smeared it all over my hair.

Application: We don’t need to carry a bottle of oil and squirt people with it. Some things are cultural. There is no magic in oil. What is needed is to invite people to come and pray with us who bring a spirit of refreshment and encouragement. That does not mean that you have to tell jokes, but bring a spirit of hope and upliftment.

James 5 (page #1853-1854) 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, (how quickly we brush past that and start saying – “it’s not the Lord’s will.”) and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Every trial has a purpose. Something God wants to do in that life.

For e.g. Dad prayed for the young girl who was on her death bed. He first had her parents kneel and give their lives to God. While they were praying, she woke up. Unfortunately, they never kept their end of the bargain. 

Application:  Many of you are sitting here because someone prayed for you to be well. You should be dead by now. The worms should have moved on years ago.

III. IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXAMINE OURSELVES DURING SICKNESS.

James 5 (page #1854) 16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Background: It is easy to confess our sins to God. It is hard to confess our sins to each other – not openly but to one another.

Men with men and ladies with ladies – making a covenant to pray for each other and hold one another accountable. That’s what our Tuesday morning Men’s prayer is about.

By the way – Private sin requires private confession, and public sin requires public confession. “The confession does not need to go outside of the circle of sin.”

James 5:16 “…that you may be healed.” Can sin make you sick? Listen to David’s prayer: Psalms 51     7 “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.”

Let me caution: “Don’t go around deciding what sin someone has committed since they are sick.” For every David, there’s a Job who was sick not because of his sin.

IV. IT IS IMPORTANT TO PRAY WITH INTENSITY AND INTEGRITY.

James 5:16 (page #1854) “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Background: This is a difficult line because of the Greek participle “energumenei” = working. The question is whether that word is modifying the verb (avails much) or modifying the noun (prayer). Based on the context, I believe that it is modifying prayer. In fact, the word for prayer is not the one that was used earlier – “proseuchomai.” This time, it is “deesis” = need. A literal translation of the Greek would be “the working prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much” (Scot Mcknight). Since it is a strong word, the words – “the effectual, fervent” prayer in the NKJV are used. It has the idea of being stretched out. That’s what effectual fervent means. Think about a horse who is jumping over a barricade and that horse is just stretched out there as it leaps over or get the idea of an athlete whose running for the gold and he, he burst for the tape, and he just stretches himself out for the goal.

For e.g. Adrian Rogers: I remember one time in Florida I received a telephone call from a man who was very distraught. This man was a drunkard. And he had just received a message that his wife had a malignancy. And he was very, very distraught because he loved his wife. His mother had been praying for him to be saved and she was one of the most saintly women that I ever knew and she was praying for her son, Bob. Well, Bob called me and he said, “Preacher, would you come over? We’ve got this bad news, come over and pray.” Well, I went over to pray and we were in the kitchen there. Here was the, here was the old saintly mother. Here was the profligate drunkard son and here I was, the young preacher. And so, I said well, let’s pray. And we got down around that kitchen table and I started to pray. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of praying but right in the middle of my prayer, he said, Pray, preacher, you ain’t praying.”

Well, I turned it up a little bit. I don’t know that the prayer was anymore effective but I got louder and a little faster. And after a while he had just enough liquor in him then to loosen his tongue and he said, “Pray preacher, you ain’t praying.” Well, I just stopped altogether then because I was somewhat frustrated and I looked around and that little mother was gone. I didn’t know where she was.

So, I got up and started to walk through the house and in another room I found her, stretched out there on the floor. She had her hands out like this, her face in the rug, and I just stopped with a holy curiosity and I listened to her prayer. I listened to her as she ascended the ladder to heaven. I listened to her as she pushed back the gates of pearl.

I listened to her as she walked down the golden street. I listened to her as she went through the, the holy of holies, the curtain into the holy of holies. I listened to her as she applied the blood there on the altar of God and as she plead with God, as a she got hold of God. I listened to her as she groaned and agonized and prayed to God. I saw her stretched out there on the floor, then I knew what that boy meant when he said, “Pray preacher, you ain’t praying.” He had heard his mama pray.

We need fervency in our prayers

• Like Abraham prayed for the salvation of Sodom and Gomorrah.
• Like Jacob wrestled with the Lord all night long.
• Like Moses prayed for his people 40 days and 40 nights.
• Like the Syrophoenician woman who begged for her daughter’s sickness.
• Like Jesus who prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before he was crucified.

WE PRAY FEEBLY BECAUSE WE LIVE FEEBLY. 

Are your prayers fervent?

But the emphasis is on “righteousness” as well – James 5:16 (page #1854) “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Proverbs 15:29 “The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.”

Psalms 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.”

But righteous does not mean perfect. James 5 (page #1854) 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, (this man who stood before four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, is running from one demon-inspired woman.) and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Story of dad raising the dead while smoking. He had to give it up to see God move. This was not the ministry he was called to lead. Don’t forget that the dead do have to die again. I rather see the spiritually dead come to life, because they will never die. 

Are you saved? Are you praying fervently for those suffering, including yourself? Did you know that Jesus also intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father? Did you know that the Holy Spirit also intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered?