Prayer Has Power

Last time we talked about persistence through suffering. We saw clearly in the book of Job how Job persisted and did not dishonor God, even in his suffering. There is beauty in continuing to remain in Christ, knowing that our ultimate hope is in eternity.

Today we get to see the other side of that. Sometimes God allows us to suffer for a time, but sometimes God heals miraculously! If you grew up in a more Charismatic denomination, it may be easy for you to believe in the power of prayer and harder for you to believe in the value of suffering. But personally, it's much easier for me to accept suffering than to trust that God can heal me. Let's look at James 5, where we are reminded of the importance of prayer:

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.

James 5:13-16

No matter where you are in life, you are commanded to pray. Prayer is powerful and effective! There is a lot in this section. Notice the mention of forgiveness of sins along with healing. We must acknowledge that sometimes we are unwell because of our sins, and we must consider that possibility before dismissing our suffering as simply an unfortunate circumstance. But even if our suffering is simply circumstantial, we are still called to confess our sins to God and our fellow believers. The passage continues:

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.

James 5:17-18

There is power in prayer! Elijah was just a human being. But God did miraculous things through his faithful prayer. God wants us to pray big prayers and trust that he can do what we request. Not only that, he wants to give us good things!

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:9-11

God cares about the desires of your heart and he wants to give you good gifts. Let's look at another example from the gospel of Luke:

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men, yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests.’ ”

And the Lord said, “Listen to the words of the unjust judge.

Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help? I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf.

Luke 18:1-8

Don't give up! Even if God doesn't answer your prayers the way you want him to in the timing you want him to, he still hears your prayers. God cares about you more than you know and everything he does is for his glory and your good (Romans 8:28). Let's look back at James 5. Just before we see the command to pray for healing, we see a call to patience.

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

James 5:7-9

Why would we have to be patient and persistent if God answered all of our prayers exactly how and when we wanted him to? We can't know exactly why God works the way he does, but we can find hope in knowing that he wants what is best for us. Remember Job?

Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

James 5:10-11

We looked at Job as an example of suffering well, but the pain wasn't the end of Job's story! Job prayed and prayed and asked God why he was suffering with no response for a long time. But when the time came, God did answer Job and he restored Job's fortune twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).

The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters.

Job 42:12-13

Thousands of years later, we can look at Job's life and see the faithfulness of God even when everything looked hopeless. We have Job as an example and God is glorified through his story. Don't lose hope in your prayers, but pray continually. While we may face suffering and challenges in life, remember the power of prayer and God's willingness to heal and bless us, encouraging us to remain patient and persistent in our faith.