We conclude the book of James today with some comforting words about the prayer of faith.
"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray." (James 5:13a) Trouble is probably what sends us to our knees the most, and this fallen world is full of trouble. The Lord Jesus never promised us easy lives, but instead He said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33b) Jesus gives it to us straight. As long as we live on this earth we're going to experience troubled times. But we have a refuge in Him. We have a hiding place. We can go to the Lord and say the same thing David said, "Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in You I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed." (Psalm 57:1b)
"Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise." (James 16:13b) I admit to you that some days I'll ask the Lord's help for something, and after He works my situation out I'll realize many hours later that I forgot to give Him thanks. One of the most beautiful ways we can give thanks and honor to the name of our Lord is to sing songs of praise to Him. You don't have to be a gifted singer. I'm certainly not, but I love singing along with praise music on the radio. The Lord honors what's in our hearts and He doesn't care whether we have a great voice or not. In fact, I think every song of praise sung from the heart is equally beautiful to Him. I don't know whether David had a beautiful voice, but he loved to sing the praises of the Lord, and he composed many songs for Him in both good times and bad times. So I'd like to add this to what James has said: "Is anyone sad? Let them sing songs of praise." There are going to be days when we don't feel like singing, but we should sing anyway, because it has a way of lifting our spirits. It reminds us of who our God is and what our God has done and what our God is going to do.
"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 that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:14-16) We practice anointing in my church. My sister was recently anointed at church after receiving her breast cancer diagnosis. The pastor takes olive oil (which represents the Holy Spirit) and with his finger makes the shape of the cross on the sick person's forehead. Then all the ministers, deacons, elders, family members of the sick, friends, and anyone else in the church who wants to participate gathers in a circle around the sick person to intercede for them with the Lord.
Some Bible scholars like to say that James's advice was good only for the apostolic age when signs and wonders abounded in the early church. But I disagree, as do many others who have far more education and experience in the Scriptures than I have. James doesn't say that the gift of healing comes from an apostle who possesses the gift of healing; he very clearly credits the Lord with the healing. Is he guaranteeing us that everyone we pray for in faith will be healed? That's a loaded question, because he links healing with being forgiven and being "raised up", so in some cases he may mean that person's eventual and eternal healing, or he may be referring to salvation, or he may be thinking of the resurrection when we will have immortal bodies like the Lord's. Nevertheless, I've seen people healed by the Lord after obeying the words of James in verses 14-16. Quite a few of them were people whose doctors had given them no hope. Others have been healed of what should have been lifelong chronic illnesses. I can't explain these healings except to give all the credit to the Lord, as James does.
One thing we can be sure of is that if we want to see our prayers answered, we have to pray in the faith that God is able to answer our prayers. James has already discussed that subject earlier in his letter by telling us not to doubt when we pray. (James 1:6-8) For proof that James is correct, we can take a look at what happened when Jesus tried to minister to the people of His hometown. Almost everyone there rejected the idea that He was the Messiah. They had no faith in Him, even though He'd been performing astonishing miracles in other towns. Because of their unbelief, the Bible tells us, "And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." (Matthew 13:58) It's not that Jesus didn't want to do miracles there, but their lack of faith prevented them from receiving blessings from Him. I don't exactly understand how faith opens up a pathway for blessings, and I'm unclear on how a lack of faith blocks the flow of blessings, but maybe this is why: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) God rewards faith, not unbelief. Faith takes effort, and it takes courage, and it takes patience. It doesn't take any effort, courage, or patience to be faithless. We can see why God would be moved to reward us for maintaining faith in a world that tries our faith every day.
Lest we compare ourselves to the saints and prophets of old and say, "Well of course people like that received rewards for their faith! Somebody like me can't expect to receive answers to big prayers," James tells us, "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) Elijah was an ordinary man who believed in an extraordinary God. He wasn't perfect anymore than you or I are perfect. God didn't answer Elijah because Elijah was perfect. God answered Elijah because Elijah had faith.
We tend to think God doesn't perform amazing miracles anymore like He did in the Bible days. But if we aren't seeing huge miracles in our own day, maybe that's because we don't have the faith to believe in them. The disciples once asked Jesus why they had failed at performing a miracle in His name. "He replied, 'Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20-21) Are there some mountains in your life that need moving? Pray to the Lord in faith. And if you find yourself believing and doubting at the same time, say to the Lord what a desperate father once said to Him: "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24b) Will the Lord honor the prayer of the one who asks for more faith in Him? You can count on it!
James is going to conclude his letter in an abrupt fashion. He's not going to use closing remarks like the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter. It's possible that the lines where he says goodbye to his readers somehow became separated from the rest of this letter, but I have my doubts about that. I think he ends his letter the way he does on purpose, and in a few minutes I'm going to tell you why. "My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins." (James 5:19-20)
He wrote his letter to the believers in order to do the very thing he tells us to do in verses 19-20: to bring back those who have wandered from the truth. He wrote his letter to correct erroneous behavior and to counteract wrong doctrine. I think he concludes without any closing remarks because our work for the Lord and for our fellow man is to be ongoing. We are to continually be examining our hearts and lives to see whether we are honoring the Lord, and we are to always be looking for ways to minister to our fellow man, and we are to be growing in faith and in our relationship with the Lord every day. So James doesn't say goodbye and, by not saying goodbye, I think he's saying something like this, "Now go and get on with it. Stay on track. Help others stay on track. Keep the faith."
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