Welcome to Day 2131 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

James – Wisdom Is Faith in Action 13– Patience through Prayer – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church message – 01/09/2022

James: Wisdom Is Faith in Action – Patience through Prayer

We are continuing our series today on the Proverbs of the New Testament, better known as the letter of James. Last week we continued in James 5 and focused on verses 7-12. This message is titled, Patience in Suffering. This week we will study James 5:13-18. James 5:13-18 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. Like a car without fuel, life without prayer grinds to a halt. The prayer-starved Christian fails to shine like a lamp without electricity in a dark, desperate world. But show me a man or woman of prevailing prayer, and I’ll show you a man or woman whose faith is deep. Ernest, fervent prayer moves the heart of the omnipotent God of the universe. Yet far too many Christians fill their lives with dizzying activities, leaving no time for this crucial ingredient that can transform mere human actions into divine acts of power.   From the introduction to James’s letter, you may recall that James was well-known for his prayer life. He had the nickname “Camel Knees” because he spent so much time on his knees in prayer that they resembled the calloused knees of a camel. As one would expect from a book written by a man famed for prayer, the theme comes up repeatedly in the letter. In 1:5, James wrote, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” And in 4:2, he said, “Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” Now, at the climax of his letter, James develops the theme of prayer more fully. Here in 5:13-18, James continues to develop the idea of how we are to conduct ourselves with patience as we await the Lord’s return: true faith exhibited through patience, manifests itself in prayer. In the face of every obstacle, whether sickness or sin, the correct response is prayer. Prayer reflects an attitude of genuine faith and reveals patient endurance as we rely on God to handle life’s struggles in His timing and according to His promises. As such, prayer becomes an essential mark of authentic faith. James refers to two ends on the spectrum of life: suffering and cheerfulness. The one relates to physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual affliction. It can include disease or discouragement, doubt or anxiety, financial hardships, or relationship conflicts. In short, it includes anything that causes trouble or affliction. The response? “You should pray.” People usually don’t have difficulty praying to God when their lives unravel. When pain increases, worry overcomes them, and events spin out of control, God finally gets His call. But in my experience, people tend to put off prayer as the last option or treat it like a time-waster that distracts them from solving the problem on their own. But James is clear: prayer is the solution to the problem. Therefore, everything we do must start with prayer. When we pray, it doesn’t mean God immediately ends the affliction. He never promises to bring instant relief. But He does promise to provide the strength for patient perseverance. Prayer doesn’t express faith in God to deliver us from trials but to strengthen us through trials. So, when we’re afflicted, it’s time to pray.  When affliction is lifted, it leads us to cheerfulness. The response is to sing praises. James sees praise as another form of prayer, lifting our hearts in worship, thanksgiving, and honor to God for who He is and what He has done. The correct response is to turn to God in prayer and praise in all circumstances, the good and the bad. In other words, we are to pray constantly. James next covers a significant area of prayer with which most Christians are familiar. Who hasn’t called out to God to heal from sickness for ourselves or others? Most of the prayer requests in our prayer lists seem to be about recovery from illness, surgery, or injuries. So James addresses the issue of the physically ill in 5:14-15. The word “sick” in 5:14 has the basic meaning of “weak” or “feeble” astheneö. The New Testament often refers to physical sicknesses (Luke 4:40; Acts 9:37). But it also refers figuratively to those who are “weak in faith” (Rom. 4:19; 14:1) or to those who have a “weak conscience” (1 Cor. 8:12). In James 5:14-15, the emphasis is more on the person who is weak from physical illness. James prescribes three things for such a person. First, they must call for their spiritual leaders (5:14). We actively inform our members through our email prayer chain.  James says that even our physical illnesses are not private, personal matters. We’re to allow the body of Christ to minister to us in our weakness along with the medical community. Second, James prescribes a specific response by the church elders: prayer and anointing. The Greek syntax combines these two actions, one accompanying the other—“pray, while anointing with oil.” We find two distinct uses of anointing with oil in the Bible. One involves a religious or ceremonial act as a symbol for consecration, as in the anointing of David as King of Israel (1 Samuel 16:13). A more mundane type of anointing was for medicinal or hygienic purposes. As for the use of lotion for dry skin or ointments for wounds, oils were used to affect the body in specific ways. We see this use when the Samaritan pours wine and oil on the injured man in Luke 10:34. The wine cleansed the wounds while the oil soothed and protected them. Most likely, James has the second use of oil in mind. The idea behind prayer and anointing was that the church should seek to aid a sick person's physical and spiritual needs. The medicinal use of oil provided physical comfort and promoted the healing process. Please observe that there was no conflict between prayer and medicine for James. Third, the prescription for the physically ill was to leave the results up to the Lord. Ultimately God does the healing; he may use the oil (medicines), the elders, and the prayers. So praying “in the name of the Lord” meant praying according to His will. This, in turn, means accepting God’s plan and purpose. It is the age-old question: Does God heal today? Of course, he can, but He may have a greater purpose behind not healing. A former pastor and Dallas Seminary president Church Swindoll created “Five Laws of Suffering,” which I will share. These principles will help the hurting and erase their confusion about why we suffer and what God has done (and can do) about it. Law One: There are two classifications of sin. The first is original sin is the sinful condition all humans (except Jesus Christ) inherit from Adam, who was the source and “head” of the human race (Romans 5:12). The second is personal sins which are individual acts of wrong we commit on our own because of our sinful condition (Romans 3:23). Because of original sin (the root), we commit acts of sin (the fruit). Law Two: Original sin introduced suffering, illness, and death to the human race. If Adam and Eve had not sinned in the Garden of Eden, humanity would never have known sickness or death.  Although, likely, we would have made the same choice (Romans 5:12). Law Three: Sometimes, there is a direct relationship between personal sins and sickness. David testified to the relationship between his disobedience and physical ailments in Psalms 32:3-5 and 38:3-5. Law Four: Sometimes, there is no relationship between personal sins and sickness. Some people are born with afflictions, suffering before committing personal sins, or children like Hazel with Leukemia who did nothing to cause it. Others, like Job, live upright lives when suffering comes (Job 1:1-5). Jesus, Himself, never committed personal sins, yet He often suffered; therefore, He can fully sympathize with our plight of suffering in a fallen world (Hebrews 4:15; 5:8). Law Five: It is not God’s will that everyone is healed in this life. Some believe God wants every believer to experience complete physical healing in this life. As a student of the Bible, there is no way to support that idea. Romans 11:33 says, “Oh, how great are God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” God may have a greater purpose in suffering and illness that we will never understand. Now let me clarify two crucial points. First, am I suggesting God doesn’t heal? Absolutely not! God can—and does—heal people, sometimes instantly and miraculously, sometimes slowly and gradually.  Every time healing happens, regardless of the means, God is responsible. He is the source of life and health. Most often, healing comes through diagnosis and medical treatment. But sometimes, God can choose to heal miraculously—nothing is too difficult for Him. His healings are complete and permanent. Therefore, when God heals, there is no way any man or woman can grab the glory or take responsibility. Second, am I stating that God uses divine healers—certain people who are especially “anointed” by the Spirit of God to lay hands on people and heal them instantly? Absolutely not!  So-called divine healers prey on those who don’t know the facts. They blame all sicknesses on sin or a lack of faith. And when their healing powers don’t work, guess who those impostors blame? The sick person who didn’t have enough faith to be healed. Tragic!   Let’s move on to 5:16. I want you to notice the link with the previous verse. James says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other.” He shifts from the third person (anyone who is sick) to the second person: “your sins.” James 5:16 helps us understand this whole passage regarding sickness and sin. James is saying, in effect, there may be those in our churches who are sick because of sin. Upon being called, the elders are to come and pray and wait upon God to bring about restoration. My encouragement is to preemptively rid our lives of sin so we don’t become ill. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The context of James’s message suggests making amends with those whom you have wronged and forgiving those who have wronged you. If we do not rid ourselves of these offenses, we can become sick deep inside; our souls will become plagued by a gnawing bitterness or guilt. Letting those thoughts fester without clearing them out through confession and prayer will consume us. They’ll eventually work their way out in the form of unhealthy habits, chronic depression, unmanageable stress, underlying anger, and even physical illness. But it doesn’t have to be that way. When believers in Christ confess their sins to those they’ve wronged, their guilt will be healed. Likewise, their bitterness will be cured when they pray for those who have harmed them. And guess what? When we have released the burdens of guilt and bitterness through confession and prayer, the garbage that has contaminated and diseased our inner life will be cleared away. That condition of righteousness before God and others will improve your ability to pray more effectively. In verse 16, James affirms, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  Or, as it reads in the NLT, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” So far, we have seen three times when we should pray. First, when afflicted with trouble, we should pray (5:13). Second, when physically ill, we should pray (5:14-15). Third, we should pray when stained with guilt or bitterness (5:16). To conclude his practical discourse on prayer, James gives us our fourth example of praying for specific requests (5:17-18). Remember, the context of praying for God to respond to specific requests, is that our life has been cleansed from sin through confession and prayer (5:16). If we are bogged down with guilt, bitterness, or a multitude of other sins, not only will our prayers be ineffective, but we may not even be in a spiritual state to discern what to pray for or how to pray. The righteous person has their attitude, priorities, and disposition oriented toward God’s will. That’s what causes the prayer of a righteous person to be effective and unusually powerful. The Greek word for “effective” is energeö, from which we get the word “energy.” Prayer is the ingredient that turns ordinary utterances into powerful words. James’s word for “prayer” deêsis refers to asking for a specific need. “Petition” or “request” might be better translations. Let me offer a few guidelines on how to pray effectively. First, it involves knowing the Scripture, and praying in keeping with the Word of God. Second, it includes being specific, dealing directly with particular issues, and asking for specific results. Third, it embraces absolute faith in God’s ability, timing, and wisdom, trusting without reservation that His answer to your petition will be correct. These things characterize the prayer life of a righteous person. Small wonder that this kind of prayer “produces wonderful results.” James illustrates this kind of prayer with the prophet Elijah (5:17-18). He reminds Elijah was as human as we are (5:17) —he was sinful, inconsistent, and imperfect, yet forgiven and equipped with gifts from above. Elijah’s specific petitions had such an abundance of power that he was able to stop and start the rain. Before you rush outside and pray for a sudden change in the weather, you need to understand the broad context of James and Elijah. Being a righteous man, Elijah knew what to pray for and when to pray for it. The Spirit specially enabled him to discern God’s will to pray for certain miraculous events to get the attention of the rulers of Israel and drive home his call for repentance (1 Kings 17-18). Today, a righteous believer can still be in tune with the Spirit’s leading and know how to pray, when to pray, and what to pray for. But even when we don’t have a clear sense of God’s leading, we can always pray for the things God has told us to pray for explicitly in the Bible. To conclude this section on prayer, let’s remind ourselves how it fits in the overall argument of the letter. In 5:7-20, James develops how we conduct our lives as we patiently await the Lord’s return. The central theme is this: real faith produces genuine patience.  Prayer reflects an attitude of genuine faith and reveals patient endurance as we turn to God to handle life’s struggles in His timing and according to His promises. As such, prayer becomes an essential mark of true faith. Application: James 5:13-18 Practical Principles of Prayer Prayer may be one of the most misunderstood and neglected blessings of the Christian life. The irony is that prayer is one of the simplest concepts to understand and one of the easiest actions to take. So let me share four simple and practical lessons I gathered from James’s profound passage on prayer. First, prayer is to be continuous. If prayer applies to all situations and circumstances, it should be a constant rhythm in your life. It should represent the inner disposition toward God that creates a rhythm as consistent as your heartbeat or as natural as breathing. I’m not necessarily talking about a scheduled event at three or four specific times during the day, though that’s a great discipline worth considering. I’m talking about the need to communicate with God throughout the day, responding in prayer and praise to whatever occurs. Believers need to be prayer addicts. We should “suffer” from chronic prayer. Do you speak to your Lord throughout the day—or is prayer an infrequent act? Second, prayer is designed for every part of life. Stop thinking of prayer like a fire extinguisher. It’s not to hang around in the back spaces of your mind until a crisis or tragedy strikes. Yes, prayer typically follows affliction, sickness, sin, fear, and loss. But it also relates to joy, blessing, thankfulness, and intimate conversation with your heavenly Father. Every kind of situation calls for prayer. Have you discovered the peace and joy when you respond to the Father in every circumstance? Third, prayer is not a substitute for responsibility. Remember that James says prayer is supposed to accompany the application of medicine (5:14). Prayer doesn’t exclude intelligent action but includes it. We err when we exclude prayer from our planning and action.  But we also err when we exclude action from prayer. Don’t pray to be healed without at the same time taking reasonable steps to get healthy. Don’t ask God to protect your children if you neglect them yourself. That isn’t faith; it’s presumption. Prayer and action go hand in hand. Fourth, prayer is not for the perfect but for the imperfect. James used Elijah as an example of the powerful prayer “Elijah was as human as we are” (5:17). You don’t need to be a prophet or an apostle to pray effectively. You don’t need to wait to be perfect before God hears your prayers. Cleansing from sin comes through prayer (5:15). Wisdom comes through prayer (1:5-6). Specific needs are met through prayer (4:2-3). So, yes, the prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (5:16). But you don’t need to be sinless to pray. If that were so, nobody would be able to pray for anything! So, don’t wait until you’re...