The Letter of James is about the kind of People God wants the Church to be. It’s about becoming a “People who pray with faith.” 

It’s the fifth marker of who we could become as a People as you read through the letter of James.

This reflection is based on James 5 with focus on verses 13 through 20.

But, I encourage you to read the entire chapter to get a better understanding of what I share with you in the following lines.

Through the letter of James, you also discover other ways God wants us to be as God’s people:

• People who act on God’s Word.
• People of faith and works.
• People with God’s Wisdom.
• People with God’s spoken blessing.

God wants us to be a people who believe that prayer is powerful and effective

Read verses 15 and 16,

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. ESV.

The power of prayer is that every time we pray we experience:

• Healing.
• Forgiveness.

[bctt tweet=”Healing we experience through prayer affects all states of our being: physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, and more.” username=“”via PasteurEmmanuel“”]

As of forgiveness, not only does God forgive us from our sins, God also empowers us to forgive others. A while ago, I talked about three steps to help forgive.

 

You don’t only have to forgive others as if you don’t somehow also offend others. You’ve got to seek forgiveness too from people by doing three things: pursue peace with all, seek reconciliation and pray.

God wants us to be a people who pray as a community

In verse 14, James suggests that we should involve the rest of the believing community to pray with us. In this letter, he talks about the elders.

This is an application of what he might have heard from Jesus Christ, the Master saying:

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18: 20. NIV.

There is power therefore when prayer is done in the context of community. It requires however for the group to be in agreement. This agreement has to do with:

• Believing in the power of prayer.
• Having faith in Jesus Christ.
• Knowing that God is faithful to make something happen according to God’s own will.

James also makes mention of using the “anointing oil.” This practice has a lot of meanings in the Bible, which I can summarize into the following:

• It implies priestly leadership roles.
• It implies kingly rights.
• It implies prophetic leadership roles.

In the case of Jesus Christ, He represents all of the above. The Hebrew term “Messiah” (“Christos” in Greek) means “The Anointed One.” Read Isaiah 61: 1 and Luke 4: 18.

The use of the anointing oil is a practice that reflects all the three elements that come with anointing meaning:

• God calls you out of whatever situation you may be in right now – Priestly.
• God sets you aside for God’s mission – Prophetic.
• God empowers you to conquer evil – Kingly.
• God gives you strength and abilities to rule over anything – Kingly.

God wants us to be a people with one ultimate goal

Prayer with faith is powerful and effective as stated above based on the letter of James.

However, prayer isn’t just about what we want and desire. It’s to fulfill what God has in mind for God’s people.

And, what God has in mind for us is the best we could ever imagine even when it is different from what we expect.

Two things James mentions in chapter five, which should represent the ultimate goal and outcome we ought to long for when we pray, individually or as a group (community). 

Read verses 19 and 20.

• God’s ultimate goal is to bring someone back to God’s truth.
• God’s ultimate goal is to turn a sinner from the error of his or her way.

What you should do about all the above

First, believe that God hears all your prayers and know that prayer always works. Second, know that when you don’t get what you ask for right away, it’s either not time for God to give it to you. Or, God is preparing something better than what you’re asking for through prayer. Last, pray with somebody.