
James 5:13–20 (NLT) 13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. 19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.
We Pray Not Because Prayer Works. We Pray Because
In faith we pray…
1. Through our
James 5:13 (NLT) Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.
Psalm 50:15 (GNB) Call to me when trouble comes; I will save you, and you will praise me.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
2. Through our
James 5:14–15 (NLT) 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
Why oil?
a. It is a symbol of the Holy Spirit’s
b. It is the symbol of God’s
Psalm 23:5 (NIV) …You anoint my head with oil…
John 5:3,8 (NLT) 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”
A true prayer of faith will acknowlege
3. Through our
James 5:15b–16 (NLT) 15 …and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
1 John 1:9 (NLT) But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
The Prayer of Faith Doesn’t Depend on the Perfection of the One Praying—but on the Power of the One Who Hears.