Prayer: When, Why, and How

Scripture:

The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful.
James 5:15-16


Observation:

James is talking about some intense praying! He uses the phrases “prayer of faith” and “intense prayer.” The word “faith” refers to conviction and fervor while “intense” refers to effective and powerful; both words imply a level of energy beyond that often used in prayer. This is more than “bless all the missionaries.” He’s talking about passionate prayer!

Prayer is to be our response to sickness. Interestingly, the Greek word used here can also mean weary. So prayer is also to be our response to weariness. Not just a recited prayer, but a prayer of faith, conviction, fervor. Passionate prayer. What is the result of a prayer of faith when someone is sick or weary? She will be “saved” (i.e. healed or rescued). And “the Lord will raise [her] up” (she will be awakened, energized to serve Him).

Another time we are to pray is if we have committed sins. To sin is to “miss the mark; err, be mistaken; violate God’s law in thought or act.” The word used here for “sins” can also refer to “the complex or aggregate of sins committed either by a single person or by many.” So we are to pray if we have committed sins, but we are also to pray if we are part of a group that has committed sins.” The result of this prayer? Forgiveness! Forgiveness means we are no longer liable to pay for the sins we have committed, those sins are removed from us because of Jesus’s taking them to the cross, shedding His blood as sacrifice for our sin, and defeating death by rising again! (Remember, James is talking about passionate prayer.)

Another time we are to pray is in response to the confession of sins. We are to confess our sins to one another. There is a reciprocity in this. A give and take. This happens in the context of relationship with other Christians. We are to openly acknowledge our struggles, our mistakes, our sins with each other and pray for each other. It’s not a one-way relationship. The result of this mutual sharing and interceding for one another is healing! We are made whole, and freed from error (sin).

Finally, James tells us “the intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful.” Who is “the righteous?” One whose “way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, and who therefore needs no rectification [purifying] in the heart or life.” Let’s be real. No human being has achieved this on earth, except for Jesus. Righteous also means “approved or acceptable to God. And we are “approved [and] acceptable to God” because of Jesus’s work on the cross. God sees us as the people He is refining us to be, and as a result, when we are seeking to follow after Him, we are righteous! And our “intense prayer...is very powerful.” Very powerful. Powerful...Having control, influence, or a strong effect on people or events.

(All quoted phrases are from The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon)

Application:

In summary, in these two short verses James tells us -

When we are to pray:

• when we are sick
• when we are weary
• when we have committed sins
• when groups we are a part of have committed sins
• when we share our struggles, mistakes, and sins with one another

What will happen when we intensely pray in faith:

• healing
• rescuing
• salvation
• awakening/energizing
• forgiveness

How we are to pray:

• in faith
• intensely
• passionately

The bottom line?
Prayer is important.
We need to learn to pray effectively.
And praying effectively starts with learning to walk in a manner worthy of Jesus Christ.


Prayer:

As it was yesterday, Father, the cry of my heart is “teach me to pray!” And help me to walk in a manner worthy of the calling You’ve given to me!