According to "Rasmussen Reports" forty-seven percent of Americans say that they pray every single day. As an aside, they also found that women pray more than men. Older folks pray more than younger ones. Protestants more than Catholics. Republicans more than Democrats. Black Americans more than white.[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2005/Prayer.htm] Bad news if you're one of those young, white, Catholic, Democrat-leaning males! Great news if you’re an older, black, Protestant, Republican-leaning woman!
So what about you? Do you pray? And if so, how often do you pray? How much of a priority is prayer? Do you pray on some days more than on others? In a similar study Barna Research found that eighty-four percent of Americans claim to have prayed over the course of any given week. You may not pray every single day (one of the fourty-seven percent), but maybe you are one of those eighty-four percent of people who prays weekly. Not w-e-a-k-l-y, but w-e-e-k-l-y.
Maybe you're like one of the people in our skit. Maybe you have given up on prayer altogether. Maybe you think that prayer is a waste of time because God already knows everything you need. Maybe you think that prayer is for the ultra-spiritual. Perhaps you're like most Americans who don’t feel their prayers are effective or powerful.
I saw this cartoon about prayer in a magazine recently. A cell phone is being handed down from the clouds and the one guy says to the other, "You better answer that…" Wouldn’t it be great if our Father in heaven would just give us a cell phone? That way if there was an emergency we could dial 7-7-7 for help. Or perhaps we could just chat like a couple of teenagers, sharing small talk. Here’s something to think about. No matter where we were at or what we were doing or how far we had strayed from home, God could phone and check in on us. Or perhaps he could text-message us. Something like, "I’m watching…"
James has some helpful insights about prayer.
Of course, prayer doesn’t seem to work that way. The heavens seem silent. This morning we are in luck. The New Testament book of James concludes with some rather helpful insights into prayer. James writes some things about prayer that we may not have considered.
In James 5:13-20 (NIV) the apostle James writes, "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he 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 man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. 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. My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
It's not like the keys to effective prayer are a divinely-kept secret. God wants us to have a vibrant and effective prayer life. These verses teach us how to have powerful, effective prayers. Let’s consider some infrequently mentioned principles for praying.
Effective prayer is for all seasons and situations.
I remember when Lara and I got our first cell phone. We got the emergency package with a whopping fifteen minutes a month included in the price. One time Lara got a flat tire on the interstate going to work and it came in real handy. But other than that, it was virtually useless. Then companies started offering free nights and weekends. If you wanted to talk, you had to get up really early in the morning. Before 7 AM or even 6 AM, depending on your plan. Or you had to stay up really late at night!
More recently, companies started offering family packs and unlimited in-network calling. You can get a thousand minutes a month for what you’d pay for a land-line. They’ve started giving out cell phones like candy. Pay-as-you-go. It used to be that if you walked around stores mumbling to yourself, people would assume you had schizophrenia or mental illness. Now they just assume you have Bluetooth.
What if our concept of prayer could evolve like our cell phone packages have? There are those who only think to pray when there is trouble or when someone is sick. There are those who think that God only hears prayers early in the morning before the sun rises. Or late at night after everyone has gone to bed. Or perhaps on the weekend during the Sunday church service.
James introduces a new prayer package.
James introduces us to a revolutionary new prayer package. It's called the Any-Time, Any-Where, For-Any-Reason, Even-If-You-Don’t-Have-A-Reason prayer package. James 5:13 (NIV) tells us, "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise." Pray while sitting at your desk. While standing over the kitchen sink. Pushing your grocery cart. Driving down the road. Sitting down with your family for a meal. Gathering with the church for worship. Riding in an ambulance on the way to the emergency room. Prayer should be a constant conversation for every season and situation. "Is that man talking to himself? Does she have Bluetooth? No, that’s a person of prayer."
Philippians 4:6 (NIV) says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) tells us, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Effective prayer enlists the support of the whole community.
We Americans are very individualistic and private. Our way is to struggle alone silently, privately, anonymously, and in isolation from others. We’ll figure it out, right? God’s way is the way of mutual encouragement and support. God’s way is to connect us into community, into a family of believers, with brothers and sisters who care for us.
James 5:14 (NIV) says, "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord." Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) says, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." 3 John 2 (NIV) says simply, "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well."
Opportunities for prayer at Lakeside.
Some of the greatest answers to prayer come as we reach out to God’s family. At Lakeside we have a prayer chain. You call one person with a prayer request and over the course of a few hours or a day, dozens of people will be praying for you. We have Life Groups that meet weekly. People will tell you that Life Groups are one of the most spiritually significant things they do. They're like little families of ten or so. In the privacy of a living room, people share the tough stuff and seek prayer.
Our Adult Bible Fellowships are a place to seek prayer. You can fill out requests on the connect flap in your bulletin. Some people e-mail the office. Some physically come in and share a concern. Each Wednesday morning our elders, shepherds, and pastoral staff pray through a portion of our congregation. At times we have anointed people with oil. The elders are always willing to accommodate any person or family seeking prayer. In our worship services we frequently offer a time to come forward and seek prayer.
Here’s the point. God did not intend for us to live the Christian life alone. That’s a formula for disaster. Get over your fears and reach out to the body of Christ. No one is going to look down on you. No one is going to embarrass you. No one in the leadership is going to gossip. If they do, I’ll be on them like Jackie Chan.
Effective prayer is about faith in Christ, not technique.
Notice the emphasis in our verses. There are no magic formulas to prayer. If I say these certain words, if I’m anointed with a certain kind of oil, if I keep a journal, if I pray before sunrise, if I hold a cross when I pray, or if I go to a chapel, then my prayers will be answered. No! The emphasis in prayer is always on deep inner faith, not on superficial technique. We're to trust the character of God as we pray. Our trust is not in methods, as if their perfect execution might somehow impress God and cause him to respond.
James 5:14-15 (NIV) says, "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." What if we spent less time on techniques and more time just praying?
Effective prayer must address our deepest spiritual need.
James 5:15-16 (NIV) says, "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he 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 man is powerful and effective."
The first order of business when we pray should be reconciliation with God. Before anything else, God is concerned with spiritual healing and with the condition of the heart. Why is the prayer of a righteous man powerful and effective? Because his heart is fully aligned with the will of God. Are your prayers getting bad reception? Confession of your sin restores our lost signal with God. Confession brings healing.
Consider some of the great prayers of the Bible like what we find in the story of Nehemiah. The ancients always prefaced their prayers with confession. And God would answer. Nehemiah 1:5-7 (NIV) is an example of confession during prayer. "Then I said: 'O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.' "
The next time you pray, why not sit down with a blank sheet of paper first? Ask God’s Holy Spirit to convict you in regards to your sin, righteousness, and the coming judgment. Ask God’s Holy Spirit to show you the sins which are causing interference between you and God. On that sheet of paper start listing out your sins one by one. What are they? Bad attitudes, impure thoughts, feelings, behaviors, temptations, weaknesses, or actions? You will completely fill up both sides of the paper. Ask God’s forgiveness! I guarantee it will be one of the most meaningful times of prayer you can have.
Confess to a trusted believer.
And don’t be afraid to share these things with a trusted believer, so he or she can pray for you. 1 John 1:9-10 (NIV) says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
Effective prayer is the common experience of the righteous.
James 5:17-18 (NIV) tells us that, "Elijah was a man just like us. 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." It is true that Elijah was a prophet, called of God. But he was no more or less called by God than any of us. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We call out to the same God who is all-powerful and able and willing to do whatever glorifies his name.
In Matthew 17:19-20 (NIV), the disciples grumble because they lacked the power to drive out demons. "Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, 'Why couldn’t we drive it out?' He replied, 'Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, 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.' " We should have high expectations for the power and effectiveness of our prayers. With God, all things are possible. Do we consider the power of him to whom we pray?
Effective prayer isn’t enough. God seeks courageous obedience.
This final point may surprize you. James concludes his book with this passage in James 5:19-20 (NIV). "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
Prayer should never become a sanctuary for disobedience. If we're not careful, prayer can become a place of passivity or procrastination. Prayer can become a place where we can abdicate our Christian responsibility to others. Just because you've prayed about a situation doesn't absolve you of the responsibility to do something about it.
James concludes with a call to action. We have an obligation to others to bring them back, should they wander from the truth of Christ. We have an obligation to save people from the second death and to seek reconciliation between God and men. If the most important task of prayer is spiritual healing, then the most important task of obedience is spiritual healing also. Do we have the courage to reconcile men to God?