Let Him Pray - Part 1

James 5:13-20 “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 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. 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. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

Pastor Rick finished up our Sunday Sermon series in the book of James with a message on the passage above. He told us that the latest Gallup Poll showed that 9 in 10 Americans claim to engage in prayer, a proportion that has not changed over the last half-century of Gallup polling, and 3 out of 4 Americans say that they pray on a daily basis. An additional 15% of adults say they pray at least weekly. Less frequent praying is reported by only 6%. The change from past surveys has been that a majority of people now feel that prayer needs to be more personal and private; less institutional. But, the fact is that alone, an individual Believer only receives about 1/3 of what God has designed for them.

Hebrews 10:24-25 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

Three attributes of prayer are (1) Prayer is for one – everyone should pray for themselves. The Lord desires to hear how you feel right now. In accepting the gift of forgiveness and salvation in the finished (atoning and redeeming) work of Jesus Christ on the Cross for our sins, our spirit is regenerated and our relationship with God is restored in direct access to our heavenly Father. Talk to Him in pray often. (2) Prayer is for some. We cannot explain why God acts the way that He does; the finite cannot grasp the Infinite. But, know that the Lord raises them all up on the last day. Some of our suffering is because of our choices that destroy, not build up. Call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (3) Prayer is for all. Confess our sins and pray for one another. Prayer is for all of us; inside and outside the church. It will “mess you up” in a good way. We long for God to do something that we cannot take credit for, like God used Elijah. How can He use us for His glory?

Let's read the second half of Pastor Rick's message tomorrow.

In Christ, Brian