James, a little book of wisdom: so what difference does prayer actually make?
Today’s wisdom:
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5: 13-18
My random musings:
Ooh, this is a tricky one, isn’t it? Many of us struggle with the whole issue of answered prayer, don’t we? Actually, many of us struggle with the purpose of prayer full stop, isn’t that right?
James is very black and white on the subject, as he is on so many subjects. We’ve learnt through this series that he’s a black and white kind of guy. And with all the false teaching and compromises that had sprung up in that environment of violent oppression and persecution, it’s easy to see why. James was drawing a clear and firm line for the Jewish Christians to align themselves to once again. He was provided what they needed to bring them back into line and onto the right path again. He needed to remind them that prayer works, that it’s always God we should turn to first in any situation before taking things into our own hands. It is not up to us as individuals to fix anything. It is up to God (and sometimes he invites us to share in that work).
Whatever the situation – good or bad – the first response is always to turn to God. That’s the ideal. I’m not great at that. My first response is to pick up the phone to tell someone. I’m trying to turn that around It takes determination and practice for that to become a habit.
Of course God knows already, but He wants us to tell Him in our words. It’s not about the subject, it’s about the connection.
And so this – ‘the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well’. I’ve seen this happen and I’ve seen it not happen. I’ve seen it used to condemn those who are already suffering for not having enough faith. I really struggle with this. I would always use the word ‘can’ instead of ‘will’. I know and trust that God can, but sometimes He does not for reasons we do not understand. We do not have to understand and never will, but we have to trust that God’s will is being done, if that is what we have prayed for, and make peace with that. I know, much easier said than done – although it’s less torment than beating ourselves up for not having enough faith.
Forgiveness of sins should not be overlooked either. We have to believe in God’s transforming power – that there is nothing in our lives that God cannot deal with and change. I find it so hard when people make out they are too complicated or damaged or bad for God to help: God is God, He’s seen it all before.
Nothing is impossible for God.
Because I find all of this difficult, I have under-estimated the importance of prayer. In rejecting it as a way of ensuring that I get what I want (which it clearly is not), I’ve lost sight of how significant prayer is. Prayer changes the prayer (the person who prays). It creates connection with the one true God and aligns me with His will for my life. It allows God the space to talk to me. This kind of prayer is powerful and effective. I’ve seen the difference it’s made in my life.
My question to you:
What is prayer and what does it mean for you in your life right now?
