Praying For Your Problems
A very wise man once said:
“Prayers offered by those who have God’s approval are effective.” James 5:16 (GW)
Actually this is a quote for the Book of James chapter five and the second half of verse sixteen. We have been making our way through the book of James and now we come to our last sermon in the series. This sermon is titled: “Praying For Your Problems”. Our sermon series is entitled: “Living Life Wisely”. James is a very practical book and he has outlined how we can successful live a life that is pleasing to God. James has told us, “How to Have Power Over Our Problems”, “How to Deal With Indecision”, “How to Become Triumph Over Temptation”, “How to Manage Our Mouths”, “How to Treat People Right”, “How to Avoid Arguments” and several other topics that help the believer make it through life successfully. James is a very practical book – perhaps the most practical book in the Bible. There are 15 sermons in this series and if you missed any of these sermons – you can find them at Sermon Central dot com under my name.
With this last sermon from James – we now find that he offers advice on “How to Pray For Your Problems”. Follow along with me as I read from James chapter five:
“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.” James 5:13-20 (NKJV)
Today we are going to ask three questions:
I. WHO Should Pray
II. HOW Should I Pray
III. WHEN Should I Pray
Let’s look at the first question:
I. Who Should Pray
Some people think you have to be a Spiritual Giant to get prayers answered. That is not what the Bible teaches. In verse seventeen in the International Standard Version of the Bible it says:
“Elijah was a man just like us.” James 5:17 (ISV)
God’s Word Translation says:
“Elijah was human like us.” James 5:17 (GW)
If you read the story of Elijah, from of the book of First Kings, you will find some interesting facts about Elijah. You will find that there were times when he was bold and brave. You will also find that there were other times when he demonstrated fear, anger, loneliness and worry. That is why James can say: “Elijah was a man just like us.” But James gives us an illustration of the prayer life of Elijah when he says:
“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.” James 5:17-18 (NKJV)
You see God used Elijah in a mighty way. There was corruption in the land. The people were worshiping false gods. King Ahab – the leader in the land – was very corrupt. The Bible says: “Ahab… did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him.” (1 Kings 16:30) So Elijah confronted Ahab and told him that the God of Israel was alive and powerful – and to prove it Elijah told Ahab that it would not rain on the land until he prayed to God and asked Him to send the rain again. For three and a half years it did not rain until Elijah prayed for the rain to come – and God sent the rain.
At another time – Elijah stood up against four hundred fifty false prophets. He told them to build an altar – place a sacrifice on it – and to pray to their god and see if their god would send fire to consume the offering. He challenged them to prove that their god was more powerful than the God of Israel. They built an altar – placed wood on it – then place an ox on it and started to pray. From early morning to noon they prayed – nothing happened. Then Elijah built an altar – placed wood on it – placed a sacrifice on it. Poured water all over it – till it was drenched with water. Then Elijah prayed. Elijah was bold. Elijah was brave. Elijah was faithful and God proved to be more powerful than the other gods – for He sent fire and it consumed not just the sacrifice – but the Bible says the fire consumed the wood – the water and the stones of the altar. (1 Kings 18) Elijah prayed and things happened. He was bold in his belief in God.
But then Jezebel enters the picture. Elijah runs for his life – because she threatens it. Elijah had stood up against four hundred and fifty false prophets but now he runs into the desert and goes through a fit of depression. He cries out, “God, kill me. I’m so depressed.” He was not afraid of the false prophets. He was not afraid of King Ahab. But he was afraid of Jezebel. In the face of Jezebel – Elijah demonstrated fear, resentment, guilt, anger, loneliness and worry as he ran from Jezebel. That is why James can say: “Elijah was a man just like us.” Elijah was an ordinary man. We all get angry. We all have fear and resentment at times. We all worry and we all feel loneliness from time to time – just like Elijah. But the lesson that Elijah’s life teaches us is that: “you don’t have to be perfect to see your prayers answered – but you do need to put your faith in God.”
Folks – here is a fact:
God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He always has – He always will.
Who should pray? We all should pray.
Let’s move on to question two:
II. HOW Should I Pray
There are four conditions that James speaks about concerning how to pray effectively. The first condition is:
A. I must ASK
Unless you ask for something – God will not answer. How can He – if you don’t tell Him what you need? That sounds simple doesn’t it? But a lot of people never receive a blessing from God because they never ask for it. The Bible says, “Ask and you shall receive.” (John 16:24)
You cannot receive – unless you ask.
Folks – I want to encourage you to be specific when you pray. The more specific your prayers are the greater the blessing when God answers. James says this:
“You do not have because you do not ask.” James 4:2 (NASV)
Be specific – don’t beat around the bush – ask God for the things you need. The second condition is:
B. I must ask with the right MOTIVE
Look at what James has already told us in chapter four verse two:
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:2 (NASV)
If you’re going to bring your prays before a Holy God – your motives must be in the right place. Don’t ask for things out of selfish ambition. Ask for things that would be pleasing to God. The third condition is:
C. I must strive to have a clean LIFE
James chapter five and verse sixteen in The Message Bible says:
“The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” James 5:16 (MSG)
The New King James says it this way:
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16 (NKJV)
Go ahead and circle the word “righteous”. If you are a Christian you are righteous before God. I’m not talking about being perfect – Christians are not perfect. Righteousness deal with your standing before God. It is how God views you. Not because of what you have done but because of what Christ has done for you. God views you as “righteous” because Christ has made all things “right” when a person believes in Him. Christians are never perfect – at least not perfect in this world.
But God does want us to strive to have a clean life. You see God became human – in Jesus – so that we can become more Godly. God works on the inside of us – to clean up the outside of us. Some people use the excuse for not cleaning up their life by saying, “I’m not perfect.” That is a true statement – but don’t let that be an excuse for doing nothing. The truth is: “I’m not perfect – but I sure am trying to be – because Jesus is perfect – and I’m trying to be like Him.” David understood this when he wrote:
“If I had been cozy with evil, the Lord would never have listened (to me).” Psalm 66:18 (MSG)
If I willing and knowingly do something that is displeasing to God – how can I expect God to answer my prayers? It’s like a son saying to his father, “Dad, I want to borrow the car tonight – but I’m never going to do a single thing you ask me.” We need to strive to clean up our lives – so that God will answer our prayers. The final condition is:
D. I must ask in FAITH
The Bible says:
“No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 (GNB)
James says it this way:
“But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.” James 1:6-7 (NASV)
Expect an answer. When you come to God, expect that He is going to answer your prayer. Believe that He wants to answer you. Trust Him. Don’t doubt. Really believe.
Well there you have the four conditions of prayer – now let’s ask:
III. When Should I Pray
James gives us three specific times that we should pray. First I should pray:
A. When I’m SUFFERING
Look at verse thirteen with me:
“Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray.” James 5:13a (NASV)
Go ahead and circle the word “suffering”. In some translation the word is rendered “troubled”. The word in the Greek literally means “to suffer misfortune, to be in distress, to be under stress, to be under tension. Is there anyone here who is stress free? No – of course not. We all have concerns. We all have issues we are dealing with.
You may be dealing with financial issues. You may be dealing with relationship issues. You may be dealing with job issues or retirement issues. James says, “You must pray.” When you’re under tension you have two choices. Turning to God – or turning away from God. The Bible encourages us to turn to God. Turn to Him in prayer. Turn to Him in praise. Look at the second half of James chapter five and verse thirteen:
“Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.” James 5:13b (NASV)
Folks there are times in life when we rejoice. There are other times when we weep. Life is like that. The times when we weep – we need to pray to God. The times when we are filled with joy – we need to praise God. The word “praise” is used 550 times in the Bible. It is to be the lifestyle of the Christian. When things are going well in your life – Praise God. When you are suffering – Pray to God.
I should also pray:
B. When Someone Is SICK
James also says:
“Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.” James 5:14-15
Go ahead and circle the word “sick”. In the Greek the word literally means “without strength”. You are totally wasted, fatigued, bedridden, unable to work. It is more than just having a cold. This is the same word that the Bible used for Lazarus the friend of Jesus. Lazarus got “sick” and died. We are talking about a serious illness here. When you are beyond the help of a doctor – pray – for God is the great physician.
Listen carefully to what I am about to say: Am I saying that we should not pray because we have a cold? No. When you have a cold – pray. When you get the flu – pray. But the Bible teaches when someone has an illness that is life threatening – we need to call in the special forces. The elders of the church need to come together and pray for that person. When there is a sickness – an illness – that could lead to death the elders need to pray. You and I need to pray when you know someone is sick – when someone is ill – when someone has a serious illness.
I want you to note something in verse fourteen. Look at this section of the scripture with me:
“Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him”
Go ahead and circle the word “he”. Who is the “he” that this verse is talking about? Who is doing the calling? It is the sick person who makes the call. It is the person who is ill. James is talking about the elders making a house call – but it takes a call from the sick person to let the elders know there is a need. Someone is thinking – well what if the sick person is too sick to call? Have a family member call. What if there is no family member? Ask the doctor or the nurse to call. The pastor or the elders of the church need to know when there is a need. When you are sick – call them. Ask them to come and see you. Ask them to pray for you.
When else should I pray? I should pray:
C. When I Have A Spiritual Concern For OTHERS
Look at what James tells us:
“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” James 5:16 (NKJV)
We as Christians need to pray for one another. We need to lift each other up – in the power of prayer. Ephesians chapter six and verse eighteen says:
“Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God’s people.” Ephesians 6:18 (CEV)
Folks one of the biggest problems in our lives is unconfessed sin. We’d rather conceal and camouflage our sins, than confess them. James says: “Confess your trespasses to one another.” Does that mean get up and confess it to the whole church? I don’t think so. There is a principle in the confession of sin. Here it is:
Only confess as widely as it involves other people.
If I’ve got a private sin, just between me and the Lord, then I ought to confess it to the Lord. If it’s a personal sin, between me and you, then I need to come to you. If it’s a public sin, then I need to confess it to the church. James tells us to confess our sin – not to broadcast it. If it involves someone else – we need to go to someone else. Jesus taught this principle when He said:
"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.” Matthew 18:15 (NASV)
In dealing with sin – always start out at the lowest level. I have often heard – confession is good for the soul. It is. James says: “Confess your sin to one another.” Remember: Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing.
Today we have covered a lot of ground. We have talked about: Who Should Pray, How to Pray, and When to Pray. God has called us to be a praying people. Let us always pray to God – for one another.
