James 5:13-20 (NIV) The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 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. 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. 16 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.
17 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. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me.
Today we finish our reading of the Epistle of James. James, the half-brother of Jesus and for a long time the chief doubter of Jesus’ divinity, closes his letter to the Jews scattered due to persecution by pointing out the significance of prayer. I love this! James says if you are in trouble, or if you are happy or if you are sick there is one answer: PRAY.
I mentioned before that I have used the model “PRAY” for years. For those who may be unfamiliar with this pattern, it is as follows:
PRAISE—Begin every prayer praising God for all He is worth. I often refer to Habakkuk, the questioning prophet, who, after asking God why his people had to suffer while in captivity, ultimately reconciled himself to praising God NO MATTER WHAT! So, I praise Him for Who He is, for what He has done, and for what He will do!
REPENT—I ask forgiveness of my sins, for although Jesus took my sins to the cross where they were crucified, I still have a sin nature. I will tell you at my age my sin nature is pretty much under the control of the Holy Spirit, and He enables me to keep my accounts short. What does that mean? If I say something that hurts or offends someone, the Holy Spirit tugs on my heart immediately so that I can ask forgiveness.
ASK—I normally begin by praying for others. It is a glorious thing to be able to stand in the gap for a brother or sister in Christ who needs prayer support. Then I pray for those who do not have a saving relationship with Jesus, I pray for famiIy, friends and I pray that God will increase the territory of our church and all churches that preach the gospel. Finally, I pray that God would send someone across my path that I can help.
YIELD—I relinquish my will for God’s. Blessed relief!
James ends by counseling Christ followers to pray for brothers and sisters who have turned from the faith. And what is the result? Repentance—Redemption—Reconciliation.
May we be eager to pray at all times, knowing that this is the will of God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Patience
James 5:7-12 (NIV) Patience in Suffering
7 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. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 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.12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
Be patient, He says. Don’t grumble, He says. Do you ever want to look up to the heavens and say, Father, do you actually know me? Then you look at it again. Be patient? Oh, wait. He says be patient “in suffering.”
Well, that is a different matter.
Now we have entered into the territory where we are to give thanks for everything, for that is the will of God. 1 Thess 5:18. That I can do!
Oops. Here’s another “thou shalt not”
Don’t grumble against your brothers and sisters. That means fellow believers. So, what are we supposed to do if we have a valid (we think) complaint? Might I suggest we pray for them and then pray with them.
Lastly, we are told not to swear by heaven or earth or anything else. Another landmine! As children we learned to cross our hearts and hope to die. And if we were really serious we added “spit the devil in the eye.”
As we grew older, we learned to say, “I swear on a Bible,” and then “a stack of Bibles.” Lord, have mercy. Matt 5:3:37 tells us to “let your yes be yes and your no be no.” Isn’t that simple?
So, does God really know us? Of course He does. Perhaps if we read these instructions over and over again they will be like a tree planted by the living water that will yield fruit in its season. Ps 1.
May we live in the simplicity of a life grounded in faith and rooted in the understanding that God is our source. Let us depend upon and follow Him.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise
James 4:13-17 (NIV) 13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Boy, this one always hits home with me. I am a planner. I make lists and try to check off things I have done, and hopefully, will not miss anything important. But how many times have I jumped ahead of God and how many times have I pledged to wait, yet my impatience gets the best of me?
I pray my plans do not rise to the level of boasting but instead are just a mark of good stewardship. And I pray I will never again become so self involved that I fail to ask God’s will for my life and that I listen with my whole when He speaks.
Growing up in the South I heard a lot of colloquialisms that were based on common sense and a recognition of who God is. Plans were often finalized with the phrase “Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise.”
May we be so tuned in to God that He is the first thought as we start our days and the last thought as we end our nights. And may we remember as the psalmist said that God is the keeper of our days.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A Call to Community
James 4:7-12 (NIV) 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
The epistle of James, written by the half brother of Jesus, was composed at a time when Jews had scattered in an attempt to escape persecution and even death. There has sometimes been unfair criticism against this letter, calling it legalistic and a proponent of salvation through works as opposed to salvation through faith. Instead, James taught that works were the result of, not the means to, our salvation.
In this portion of our scripture, James begins by referring to the ceremonial washing by priests before entering the temple. We, today, recognize the spiritual significance of approaching a holy God in awe and reverence. There is no magic formula to a relationship with God, but I believe there are actions we can take that will hinder our relationship, and thus prevent us from growing in Christ. When we fail to honor God in all we say and do, it will not be long before we begin to treat others in a way that contradicts everything Jesus taught.
We are called to humility which leads to treating others with kindness rather than in judgment. I love the scripture from 2 Corinthians 5:11 (MSG) Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.
When the love of Jesus has the first and last word in everything we do, we will recognize the holiness of God and we will help build a community of believers that can withstand any assault by the enemy.
May we join together in faith and unity, relying upon the love within which God has infused us and His Holy Word.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Resist Being Proud
James 4:1-8 (NIV) Submit Yourselves to God
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
James 3:17 – 4:7 (MSG) Get Serious
1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
4-6 You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”
7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
I have spent the last few days in the Epistle of James, and today I read the first eight verses in Chapter 4 in both the NIV and the Message. It is apparent that James was not concerned with bringing the sinner to Christ, but instead his focus was teaching the Christ follower to live holy.
I love the way the Message paraphrases the final verse: Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet. It reminds me of a song in the ‘80’s—“Get on Your Knees and Fight Like A Man” by Petra. I made the statement earlier this week that one of the worst mistakes I ever made was ceasing to get on my knees in prayer.
Why is our prayer posture important? It conveys our attitude toward God. When we humble ourselves before a holy God we are recognizing our sinfulness before Him. Can we show our humility while sitting in a chair or lying in our bed? Of course, we can. It is all about our heart attitude.
Today, what would happen if we began relating to God as the Supreme authority in our lives? What would happen if, when we end our prayers “in Jesus’ name” we were asking only for something that Jesus would want us to have?
May we learn from today’s scripture that either God is first in our lives, or we are first. We cannot have it both ways. Choose God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 