Prayers of Faith

James 5:13-18

Verse 15 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.

Yesterday we talked about how we need to invite others from the Church into our times of illness and today we will talk a bit more about the need of true faith in our prayers.

When James told them to call on the elders he knew that these prayers were not just going to be a quick, “please make them feel better” type prayer. These prayers would be a calling out to God to take away the illness and bring to light anything that may have led to a particular illness. Remember some of these people had known Jesus and been touched by His ministry. They knew about the healing power of prayer as they had witnessed it and maybe even experienced it firsthand. So why would James need to remind them to do this?

It is easier to remember the things God has done when we are surrounded by others who also experienced them. But these believers were scattered from the crowds who had witnessed Jesus’ miracles. They had other believers around them but they were living in cultures that didn’t believe in the power of praying in Jesus’ name, because they didn’t believe in the power of Jesus.

James is reminding his readers that there is power in the name of Jesus and if His people call on Him for help, He will listen and answer. As we mentioned yesterday the answer He gives may not always be the answer we wanted but it will always be for His glory and for our ultimate good, drawing us closer to Him.

The key that James is making in this verse is that it is the prayer of faith that is being offered. If we pray without expecting Him to hear and answer for the best we aren’t really praying in faith. In fact we may not be praying at all. To pray is to talk to God and if we are talking to someone we hope that they are listening. If our faith is indeed in God we should have no problem bringing Him our greatest concerns and know that He will answer. And when He works His healing on those we pray for, we are given an opportunity for praise!

Making It Personal

Have you ever witnessed God’s healing power in someone’s life? Have you ever experienced His healing personally? Who needs His healing in their lives today that you could pray for?

Making It Personal Kids

How important is it to know Jesus can heal someone before you ask Him to heal them? Does Jesus want to heal everyone? Who can you pray to have Jesus help today because you know He wants to help them?

Closing Prayer

Father, only You are powerful enough to heal. Help us remember that You require true faith in us when we pray as there is no reason for us to pray if we don’t believe You can. In Jesus’ name, amen.