James 5:16-18, Does Prayer Work?

This lesson is structured to take about ten minutes.

Introduction

• Have you ever asked yourself, does prayer really work? After all, we serve an omnipotent, sovereign God, is there really any point in prayer?

Main Body

James 5:16

• What commands are given in James 5:16?
  • Confess your faults
  • Pray

• What is the result in James 5:16?
  • James uses a word for healing which according to Blomburg, "can refer to physical or spiritual cures as the context dictates"

• What does the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplish?
  • The NKJV says is "avails much." The Greek word that we translate as avails is ισχυω. Faro argues that "The basic sense of this verb has to do with ability and capacity to do something." It is interesting because there is another Greek word that carries the idea of being able or powerful to do something, δυναμαι. So why use this different word? In TDNT is is argues that ισχυω places emphasis on the power that is implied in the ability. Whats more is that the word for effectual (ενεργεω) is a particle in the middle or probably the passive tense. That is God is the ultimate agent in activating his people's prayers and God uses those prayers as a means of displaying his power.

• So is prayer useful?
  • Yes, prayer accomplishes much because God has ordained to work through our prayers to demonstrate His power. When you pray you are directly acting as an agent of God!

James 5:17-18

• What example of fervent prayer is given in verses 17 and 18?
  • Elijah

• For many, Elijah would have seemed larger than life. A spiritual super-hero if you will. James, however, wisely points out that Elijah was just a man like you and like me. So what gave Elijah his seemingly super human power?
  • His earnest prayer. The construction behind the phrase "earnest prayer" is a cool semitic method for adding emphasis where two words that are either the same or have the same root are placed next to each other to intensify the word. I think of it as this is more that just prayer, this is PRAYER.

• What did his prayer accomplish?
  • He was able to bring drought and rain through his prayer.

• So, why did James choose to use this story? Think about it, the Mt. Carmel victory was bigger and the Bible even explicitly mentions prayer. Wouldn't it have made more sense for James to use that example? Or what about the raising of the Widow at Zarephath doesn't that fit the healing that James mentions earlier int he passage?
  • I suggest that one thing James wants to emphasize is that Elijah's prayer had to be one of faith, earnestly, expecting. If you pray for a drought today you will not get an answer tomorrow, or the next day, or even this month, a drought takes time, just because it doesn't rain does not mean God is not answering your prayer.

Conclusion

• What does this mean for us?
  • As we pray today, don't just pray, PRAY!

Craig L. Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell, James, vol. 16, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 245.

Ingrid Spellnes Faro, “Strength,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).