Thank you for reading the sermon this week. We have been studying in the book of James for quite some time now, and I've thoroughly enjoyed posting these messages. I hope that you have found them to be beneficial to you. Next week will be the concluding message in the James series.
Today, we focus on what James tells us about the power of prayer. In verse 16 he states, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." There are two important applications from this verse.
First of all, I would like to focus on the fact that James mentions the prayers of a righteous person. In order for our prayer life to be effective, we have to be in right fellowship with the Lord. This means that we need to ask the Lord to forgive us of our sins and help us to live a life of holiness that is pleasing to Him. The Bible tells us that without a life of holiness, no one can please the Lord.
There are many people who go through life living in opposition to the way that has been shown and explained to us by the Lord Jesus. When they face difficulties, they pray, and then they are upset with the Lord if He doesn't respond in the way that they want Him to. I am not saying that the Lord does not hear nor answer the prayer of someone who has sinned in some way. What I am saying is that our prayer life will be much more effective if we confess our sins to the Lord. Our prayer lives will be much more effective if we live in the way that Jesus has taught us to live.
As an example of a righteous person with an effective prayer life, James provides us with the example of the prophet Elijah. When the people under the leadership of Ahab and Jezebel turned from God to idols, Elijah prayed that it would not rain as a means to bring the nation back to God. When Elijah prayed, the rain did not come for three and a half years. When Elijah prayed for rain to come, God sent the rain back to the land.
James wants to make clear that Elijah was a human being just as we are. He lived his life for God even when the king and queen were seeking his death. He had faith and believed in the things that God told Him. He served the Lord with all of his heart all of his days until he was taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire.
The Lord Jesus told us that when we pray we need to have faith. We need to believe that the Lord Jesus can accomplish that which we ask Him to do. If we pray for healing, we need to believe that the Lord can really do it. When we pray for peace, we must believe that the Lord can bring peace and justice even when it seems impossible in human terms.
We must be people of prayer. We serve and worship the God who created and sustains all that there is. He has the power to do anything. The Lord is the first one that we should go to when we have a problem in our lives. Don't go to other people first, and don't just rely on your own efforts. Go to the Lord. The Lord has the power to heal. He has the power to bring lost souls to repentance. He has the power to deliver us from adverse circumstances and set our feet on higher ground. We must take everything to the Lord in prayer.
We must also not give up when praying. Jesus told us not to give up. He told us to keep praying. I remember praying for certain things to happen for a a long time before there was an answer. Here on the blog we prayed for peace to come in some nations for years before peace came. But we kept praying. I prayed for a long time for the Lord Jesus to heal my vitiligo, and He did.
Don't give up when you are praying for those who need to come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. I believe that if we are faithful in our prayers, the lost will come to the Lord. At the very least, I believe that Jesus will send someone to them to really clearly explain the way of salvation.
As servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, let us live lives that are pleasing to the Lord. Let us keep praying in all circumstances for God to move in His power. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I want to thank the Lord for providing me with the money that I needed to get my car fixed. Thank you for your prayers in this matter.
Please pray for Afghanistan. Pray that the Afghan refugees will be able to make it out of the country safely.
Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Please get vaccinated if you haven't already. Pray that the sick will recover.
Pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world. Syria, Yemen, Chad, Ethiopia and Libya need our prayers.
Remember to pray for Haiti. Pray that the people will receive that aid that they need.
Please pray for an end to the terrible fires.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Thailand and Guinea-Bissau. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will conclude our study in the book of James. On Monday, I will post the verses. I will have a book review midweek. May God bless you all.
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