Introduction
I want you to take your Bibles tonight and turn with me to the fifth chapter of the book of James. That wonderful book of James that deals with such practicalities, things that we need to know and learn and to hear over and over again.
Tonight I want to speak to you on the healing power of prayer, on the healing power of prayer. James chapter 5 and verse 16: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And, he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit” (James 5:16–18).
The Healing Power of Prayer. I want you to know that I believe as surely as I’m standing here that God heals. I believe that God heals naturally, I believe that God heals supernaturally, I believe that God heals instantaneously, and I believe that God heals in time, but I believe he is the Lord our God who heals all of our diseases. I believe that God heals through medicine and I thank God for the doctors and I believe that God heals through miracle and he heals beyond the doctors’ art.
We have some very fine medical doctors here in our congregation as I look out among them, and the thing that thrills my heart is to know that these men while they’re men of science are also spiritual men, and they’re men of prayer, and these are men who pray and ask God to do what they themselves cannot do. And, I believe that God has healed me and answered a prayer. I believe there’s some of you that are here tonight who have been healed because of the prayers of God’s people, and God has miraculously, supernaturally, intervened and healed you in a way that He would not have healed you had we not prayed. Oh, I believe ladies and gentlemen, that many of us, many of us have forfeited the blessing of God because we’ve not learned something of the healing power of prayer.
Now, prayer is a powerful force. One man that will always bless you if you read what he’s written is Andrew Murray. Andrew Murray was a man that walked with God.
Andrew Murray said this in relation to prayer. He said, “In relation to his people, God works only in answer to their prayer.” Now, that’s a big statement. He didn’t say, “God works in answer to their prayer,” but “in relation to God’s people”, Andrew Murray said, “God works only in answer to their prayer.” And then he said, “In prayer we change our natural strength for the supernatural strength of God.” We change our natural strength for the supernatural strength of God.
Dr. R. A. Torrey, whom I quote frequently, said this, “Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.” Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that that lies outside the will of God. Another great preacher of yesteryear said this. Dr. A. C. Dickson said, “When we depend upon organization, we get what organization can do, and that’s something. When we depend upon education, we get what education can do, and that is something. When we depend upon money, we get what money can do, and that is something. When we depend upon singing and preaching, we get what they can do, and that is something.” But, then Dr. A. C. Dickson said, “When we depend upon prayer, we will get what God can do.” And, then this great preacher went on to say, “What all the churches and all the homes and all the schools and all the individuals need is what God can do, and how shall we get what God can do? By prayer out of hearts that are right with God.”
Now, the message tonight is going to deal with the healing power of prayer, but I want to remind you that there is more than the healing of the body. There are souls that need to be healed. There are churches that need to be healed. There are homes that need to be healed. There are fellowships that need to be healed. There are spirits that need to be healed. There are minds that need to be healed and indeed there are bodies that need to be healed. Now, James tells us how to pray so as to bring the healing power of God into our bodies, into our minds, into our spirits, into our homes, into our relationships so that God, who is the God that heals our diseases, will move in and heal us. Several things I want you to notice.
First of all, I want you to notice the confession that precedes this kind of healing, the confession that precedes it. Notice verse 16, “Confess your faults one to another.” Now, ladies and gentlemen, this perhaps is the reason that we don’t see more healing. This is the reason that we don’t see more answered prayer. This is the reason that prayers are not answered in other realms as well as in the realm of healing. We are great at concealing our sins rather than confessing our sins.
Now, we love to criticize our friends and castigate our foes, but we don’t like to confess our faults. But, the Bible doesn’t say we’re to criticize our friends, the Bible doesn’t say we’re to castigate our foes. The Bible says that we are to confess our faults, but that’s the last thing any of us want to do. “To err is human,” to cover it up is also (Alexander Pope). We don’t want to confess our faults, but I’ll tell you, there are some definite results that come when we obey what James said here in the Word of God when we confess our faults.
The very first thing that begins is there is restoration, there is healing. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed. God begins to heal homes. God begins to heal relationships. God begins to heal minds. God begins to heal spirits and God begins to heal bodies. Not only is there restoration, there is reconciliation. Did you know that when we begin to confess our faults that God just brings us together as we confess our faults one to another? There are many people here who have resentment against someone else, if this is an average church and an average crowd. And, those resentments have been festering and festering and festering. Now, when we begin to confess our faults one to another you’re going to find that the festering sores of resentment and distrust begin to evaporate and begin to melt away. There is restoration, there is reconciliation, and there is revival that comes when we confess our faults one to another and pray for one another. You can study the history of revival. And, you’re going to find out that every great revival is marked, absolutely marked and saturated with this one thing that I’m talking about, a confession of fault one to another.
Now, most of us are trying to save face and that’s the one thing we need to lose. Most of us are trying to maintain our dignity rather than have revival. I remember hearing Dr. Charlie Culpepper and Ms. Bertha Smith tell of the great Shantung revival. And, they said that the mark of that revival that was so powerful there in China that the missionaries began to confess their faults one to another and pray one for another. If you study the history of revival in the great awakening it began when people began to confess their faults one to another and pray one for another.
It was true in the book of Acts. Turn to Acts chapter 19 with me for a moment and look if you will in verse 18, Acts 19:18. I want you to notice a mighty revival that took place. The Bible says in verse 18, “And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.” And, what was the result of confession and repentance? That is getting rid of the books on the occult and burning those things and destroying those things and being open with brothers and sisters and confessing their faults and saying pray for me and I pray for you. What was the result of it? Look in verse 20. “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed” (Acts 19:20). That is, the Word of God spread and the Word of God had power because there was confession in the church.
Do you know what real revival is? Do you know what real spiritual power is? It is not just getting the roof off. It is getting the walls down. You say, “What do you mean by that, preacher?” Many of us are content to confess our sins to the Lord, to confess our faults to the Lord, we’re glad to get the roof off, but we sure don’t want to get the walls down, do we? I mean, we don’t want anybody else to know what’s in our hearts, we don’t want anybody else to know where we failed. We don’t want anybody else to know our faults and we refuse to get the walls down. But, dear friend, real revival, genuine revival, revival from above, revival that heals, revival that restores, revival that reconciles is revival where we confess our faults not only to God, but to one another.
Now, having said that, I want to say something about the confession of sin. The confession of sin needs to be in keeping with the circle of sin. Now, the devil can use even the confession of sin to his advantage if people are not wise and if people are not scriptural. The Bible does not teach that we should necessarily broadcast our sins to everybody indiscriminately. We may find ourselves casting “…pearls before swine…” (Matthew 7:6).
And, the circle of sin and the circle of confession need to be relatively the same. For example, if there’s private sin in your heart and in your life then there needs to be private confession before God and God alone. The exception to that is you may include your prayer partner if you have somebody that you can trust who is very intimate and you pray with that person and say, “Help me, I’ve had the problem of lust or I’ve had the problem of pride, I’ve had the problem of selfishness, I’ve had the problem, it is a personal problem, it is within me.”
And, that is private sin that is private confession. Now, what about personal sin? And by personal sin, I mean sin against another person. If I sin against Mike, I need to confess to Mike, I need to tell Mike between him and myself alone, and ask Mike to forgive me. If it’s gone no further than that then between Mike and myself I need to confess my fault and say Mike, this is where I failed you or this is where I abused you or misused you or this is the way I’ve sinned against you and Mike, for Jesus’ sake, please forgive me.
Now, that’s not going to drive a wedge between Mike and myself, that’s going to put a bond of love around us. I’ve had people come to me and confess to me some feeling that they’ve had toward me or some resentment they’ve had toward me. I want to tell you ladies and gentlemen, that has never caused me to think less of any individual who’s ever done that—always to think more, always to love that person, and always to esteem that person more—because I know what torture sometimes a person goes through before they can come and humble themselves and say, “I want you to forgive me.” But, I tell you, I feel the power of Jesus when someone does that. I feel the flutter of angels’ wings when someone does that, when we begin to confess our faults one to another.
And, then dear friend, when there is public sin there needs to be public confession. When a person is openly, outwardly, notoriously wickedly sinned and it’s a matter of public knowledge then not only do you need to get right individually and not only get right before God. You need to get right before the church, you need to get right before the community. And, the prayer of healing, there is a confession that precedes it. What a day it will be in our churches when confession replaces criticism and compassion replaces condemnation. We need to learn to confess our faults one to another and pray one for another.
Now, I’ve talked to you about the confession that precedes it. Now, I want to talk to you a little bit about the intercession that provides it. I’m talking about healing now and the intercession that provides it. Look again in verse 16. “Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed.” Now, the confession of a fault is not a call to criticism, it is a call to prayer. And, God wants us to pray to Him. God encourages us to pray to Him.
Now, listen, let me teach you something about prayer tonight. Prayer is not preparation for service. Prayer is service. Prayer is not getting ready to minister, prayer is ministry in and of itself and don’t tell me therefore there’s no ministry that you can have. If you can pray you can minister. It is the most valuable service you can render and you may do more than pray after you’ve prayed but you can’t do more than pray until you’ve prayed, if what Andrew Murray said is correct that God works only in answer to the prayer of his people.
Now, the sick need more than your pity. They need your prayers and those who are sinful need more than your compassion, they need your prayer and the Bible teaches very clearly and very plainly that we’re to pray one for another. I think that someone was quite correct when he said that the Christian army is the only army in the world that shoots its wounded. Now, when a person is in a fault the Bible says in Galatians chapter 6 verse 1: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).
Now, are we to pray then? Look at this prayer of intercession. What kind of a prayer is it to be? Well, look in verse 16. “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Now, that word “effectual, fervent” and it is a word although it’s two words in the English, it’s one word in the Greek, and the “effectual, fervent” prayer of a righteous man tells us exactly what our prayer is to be. Now, listen, this word here, “effectual, fervent” is a word that literally means “stretched out.” We could read it this way. The stretched out prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Now, the idea of stretched out is the idea of a horse that is running at full gallop and you’ve seen pictures of a horse with his front legs and his back legs out this way and he is stretched out. Or, you’ve seen perhaps an athlete who is running for the goal and the ribbon is there and he’s trying to break the ribbon and with all of his heart he is stretched out. Now, he’s not talking about being stretched out upon your bed therefore. What he is talking about is prayer that is intense, fervent, like an athlete, with every nerve, every ounce, every inch, every fiber, stretched out, intense prayer.
I believe that one of the faults of our praying to day is that so much of our prayer is lackadaisical. Good Lord, Good devil, now I lay me down to sleep type of prayer, take it or leave it type of prayer. But, if you will read in the Bible the prayers of some of God’s saints you’re going to find out that these saints prayed as they stretched themselves out before God and got hold of God. In Genesis chapter 32 verse 6 Jacob prayed and he got hold of God and he said, “Oh God, I will not let you go until you bless me.”
I’ve had to pray that way sometimes. I tell you, I’ve gotten on my knees and tried to pray, and all of the forces of Hell come against me. My mind will run like a squirrel cage. I get sleepy, I gather wool, I start saying one thing talking to God and thinking about something else. My knees begin to hurt and my body aches and all kinds of things happen to me. Does that ever happen to you? Boy, that makes me feel better. And, the devil will let lose will all of the artillery of Hell to keep me from praying. And, I have to say like Jacob sometime, Lord, I’m not going to let you go. If I die on my knees I’m going to stay here until I have a consciousness of your presence, ’til I’m in Heaven’s throne. And, when I come to that place it’s not long till I’m there too.
You know, God does business with those that mean business and James says the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Like when we went to Korea and saw those churches in Korea. Bob and Buna, the one thing that I was impressed about more than anything else in their praying was the fervency of their prayer. We have a group tonight that’s going to Korea and we’re going to send them off with prayer just after the close of this service. But, those Korean people where God is moving in a spirit of revival, they’re praying fervently. I mean, the Spirit of God is there and they are meaning business with God and James says the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Now, not only is James talking about the intensity of the prayer, but he’s also talking about the integrity of the prayer. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man, that is, a man whose heart is clean before God. So much of our praying is a smoke screen to cover up our sin, and we don’t intend to confess our sin, we just want God to bless us. It’s sort of blessed us anyhow, but dear friend, the Bible says we’re to confess our faults one to another and then we’re to pray one for another that we may be healed and until there’s that confession there cannot be that proper intercession. It is the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man that availeth much.
Proverbs chapter 15, verse 29: “The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29). Now, if it is sin in your heart, God, as far as you’re concerned, is ten thousand miles away. Psalm chapter 66 and verse 18: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me…” (Psalm 66:18). That’s what God’s word says. Isaiah 59, verses 1 and 2: “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1–2). It’s not that God cannot hear, but it is that God will not hear.
Now, I spoke this morning of positional righteousness, that is one kind of righteousness, that is, when I receive Christ as my personal Savior, when I repent of my sin and trust Christ, positionally I am saved. God imputes righteousness to me and in the sight of God I am righteous, I am going to Heaven. But, I want to tell you there’s more than positional righteousness, there is practical righteousness, and there is more than imputed righteousness there is imparted righteousness. And, even though I may be saved and even though my sin may be under the blood, if there’s unconfessed, unrepented sin in my life, if there’s not practical righteousness, and if I’m not walking before God, then I have no right to expect God to hear my prayer. As a matter of fact, God has promised that He will not hear my prayer.
Now, I don’t know about you, but it’s important to me that God hears my prayers. Many of you have heard the illustration of how they catch monkeys in the South Sea Islands. Do you know what they do? They take a coconut and strap a coconut to a palm tree. They hollow out a hole in the top of that coconut, and it’s a small hole, so small that the monkey can just straighten out his fingers and slip his fingers into that hole.
Well, why would a monkey slip his fingers in to that hole? Because they put some rice in the hole and there’s rice on the inside of the coconut. And, the monkey wanting the rice will slip his paw into the coconut and he’ll take a fistful of rice. Now, while his fist is balled up like that and doubled up he cannot withdraw it from the hole in the coconut and then the captor comes along and he has him a monkey. Well, you say, “Stupid monkey, all he has to do is let go of the rice.” That’s right, but he will not do it, he will stay there and beg, and scream, and cry, and chatter, and wiggle, but he’ll never open his hand and let go of that rice, stupid monkey.
I know some people who will get before God and they will beg, and plead, and cry, and whimper, and ask God to hear their prayers, but they will not let go of that sin. They will not. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. There is no sin worth not having your prayers answered. Oh, dear friend, think of the intensity of the prayer, think of the integrity of the prayer, the effectual, fervent, stretched out prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Dear friend, this is the kind of praying that we need to pray.
Now, one last thing, I’m talking to you about the confession that precedes it. The intercession that provides it, and now think with me about the illustration that proves it, the illustration that proves it. Notice here what James does. He illustrates it. Any good sermon ought to have an illustration and James illustrates it with Elias. That’s the New Testament name for the Old Testament Elijah so with your permission or even without your permission I’ll read it this way. “Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months and he prayed again and the Heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.”
Now, God doesn’t want us to misunderstand this thing and so He gives us a wonderful illustration of the prayer that heals. Now, in order for you to understand that illustration I want you to turn to the passage of scripture that James is talking about. And, that means that you turn backward in your Bible to 1 Kings chapter 18, all right? Turn to it. 1 Kings, chapter 18. Now, you will remember that there was sickness in the land of Israel. There was the need of revival and there was a drought that was there because of the sins of God’s people.
Now, I’m going to begin reading here in 1 Kings 18:42. This is the illustration that James is talking about when he said that Elijah was a man of like fashions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain. 1 Kings 18:42–45: “So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.”
Now, what does all this tell us? That is the illustration that James was talking about. This is the illustration that proves it and what James is saying is this. That if God heard the prayer of Elijah when Elijah met God’s conditions that God will hear the prayer of Adrian when Adrian meets God’s commission. Now, notice the person of the prayer. It was Elijah.
Now, listen, James said that Elijah was a man of like passions, as we are. Have you ever read these stories of men in the Bible and thought that sometimes they lived in a different world, and they breathed a different air, and that somehow they were not like us, and that somehow God showed them favors that He doesn’t show us? Have you ever done that? I have sometimes. I just think, “Well, they just weren’t like us.” James says, “Forget that stuff, they were just like us.” Elijah was not an extraordinary man, he was an ordinary man. He was a man of like passions and I can prove it because right here in chapter 18 he has a wonderful victory and in chapter 19 you find him running from Jezebel. I mean, you find him, he gets so depressed that he puts his face upon the ground and asks God to kill him and prays that he might die. It makes me feel better that if God can answer a prayer for a man like him then maybe he can answer a prayer for me. Amen. Well, now let’s say for you. “Amen.” You see, he was an ordinary man, he wasn’t a perfect man.
Now, notice not only the person of the prayer, but notice the place of the prayer. Look again if you will in verse 42 of this chapter. The Bible says that Ahab went out, went up to eat and to drink and Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel and he cast himself down upon the earth. That old sot, Ahab, the king of Israel is down there eating and drinking. And, that’s the problem with so many of us. We know a lot about feasting, we know little about fasting. We know a lot about parties, but we know a little about prayer.
But, here was a man who knew how to get alone with God, he got up there on the mountaintop alone with God. He withdrew from the crowd. Jesus told us to “pray to thy Father which is in secret…” (Matthew 6:6). And, the secret of my ministry, the secret of your teaching, and the measure of your life is not how well you preach or teach in public, but how you pray in private. And, I want to tell you, as I say, “That frightens me. That frightens me.” But, it encourages me and it instructs me. Here was a man who knew how to get alone with God in prayer.
And, this is the illustration now that James is using, the person of the prayer of an ordinary man. The place of the prayer. He found a place where he could get alone with God and in this particular place it was the top of Carmel, Mount Carmel, I’ve been there many times. I thought of the old prophet praying up there. He withdrew from the crowds. Jesus did exactly the same thing.
Notice the posture of the prayer. Look in verse 42. And, he cast himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees. Here was a man whose humiliates himself before God. If My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves. He didn’t strut into the presence of God. Here’s a man bowed down with his head between his knees, humiliated, broken before God. Do you know why he was bold as a lion when he was brought before Ahab? Because he knew how to kneel before God. And, a man who knows how to kneel before God can stand before anybody else. Who’s going to fear King Ahab when he’s just had an audience with the King of kings? Here’s a man who’s gotten alone on his knees before God. But, notice not only the posture of the prayer. Notice the passion of the prayer.
Look again in verse 42. The Bible says, “And, he cast himself down,” he didn’t just kneel. I see this man in great intensity. The idea is here that he is stretched out, and he throws himself down before the Lord. He means business with God. This is what James is talking about when he says the effectual, fervent prayer, the stretched out prayer of a righteous man availeth much. The passion of the prayer. Prayer is seeking, prayer is asking, prayer is knocking. You say, “Well, I just don’t believe the Lord just wants all that emotion. I don’t believe the Lord wants all that intensity.”
Well, maybe you know more how to pray than the Lord Jesus, but let me tell you how the Lord Jesus prayed in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 7. The Bible says, “he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears” (Hebrews 5:7). Jesus, prayers and supplication with strong crying and tears. Now, it’s not easy to pray. I’d rather preach an hour than pray for half an hour. You say, “I believe that.” I’d rather do almost anything as far as physical strain on my body than to spend the extended power, a time in prayer. The concentration, the effort, and the energy. I’ll tell you dear friend, that all of the powers of Hell are going to come against you when you pray and when you intercede with Almighty God.
But, here is what I want to call the passion of the prayer. And, I want you to notice the persistence of the prayer. Look again in verse 43. And, he said to his servant, “Go up now and look toward the sea.” And, he went up and looked and said, “There’s nothing.” And, he said, “Go again seven times.” That is, here is Elijah and he’s praying for rain. He says, “Oh God, oh God, send rain, we need rain.” “Servant, go see if you see a cloud.” No cloud. “Oh God, send rain, God, we need rain, God, hear my prayer.” “Servant, go see if you see a cloud.” He prayed, he prayed, he prayed, he prayed, he prayed, he prayed and he did not stop praying.
Luke 18 verse 1: “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). I cannot tell you why God makes us keep asking. I cannot tell you why we must sometimes importune and just continue to ask God, but the Bible says “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9). That’s what the language means, it’s something that we just keep on doing, and we press through in prayer. Here was a man who asked and he continued to ask and he pressed his hand against Heaven. Somebody said, “Until there was handprint left there in Heaven a cloud about the size of a man’s hand and finally the answer came and God, whose delays are not denials, answered the prayer.” Let me tell you something. Colossians 4 verse 2, the Bible says, “Continue in prayer…” (Colossians 4:2). Continue in prayer and watch in the same. Isaiah 30:18: “…therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you…” Keep on praying, keep on praying, the last thing, the power of the prayer. Look in verse 45. “And it came to pass in the meanwhile that the Heaven was black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain.”
Conclusion
Now, that’s the illustration that James uses when he tells us how to pray for healing. It is not always God’s will to heal. It is not always God’s will to send rain, but I’m telling you ladies and gentlemen, when we know the heart and mind of God many times we do not have the will of God because we do not pray. We have not because we ask not. How to pray for healing, James has told us. There’s the confession that precedes it. There’s the intercession that provides it, there’s the illustration that proves it. The man Elijah was a man just like you and like me, an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. Let’s pray.
