The Prayer of Faith

 

The Prayer of Faith

James 5:13-20

Max Lucado once wrote, "Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference."

That is an important truth to remember. The effectiveness of prayer is not ultimately determined by our eloquence, vocabulary, emotion, or ability to say exactly the right words. Prayer has power because of the God to whom we are praying.

Prayer runs throughout the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, men and women call upon God in times of trouble, offer thanksgiving for His goodness, intercede for others, confess sin, seek wisdom, worship, and ask for His intervention. Jesus Himself repeatedly withdrew to pray, teaching us by both word and example that prayer is an essential part of a life lived in fellowship with God.

There are many different expressions of prayer in Scripture. We see prayers of faith, agreement, petition, thanksgiving, worship, consecration, and intercession. We also see those moments described in Romans 8 when we do not know what we ought to pray and the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

In James 5:13-20, however, James focuses particularly upon what we might call the prayer of faith.

A prayer of faith is not merely a prayer in which we strongly desire a particular outcome. It is prayer offered in confidence that God hears us, that He is able to act, and that His will is ultimately best. Faith does not rest in our ability to persuade God. Faith rests in the character of God Himself.

Romans 10:17 tells us, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

There is something powerful about praying in agreement with the Word of God. When we bring His promises, His truth, and His character before Him in prayer, we are also reminding our own hearts of what God has said. As we hear the truth of God's Word, our faith is strengthened.

Pray When You Are Suffering

James begins with a remarkably simple instruction: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray."

James does not specify one particular kind of suffering. It could include physical pain, emotional distress, persecution, disappointment, grief, discouragement, financial hardship, relational problems, or any number of difficulties that enter our lives. His instruction remains the same: pray.

Unfortunately, prayer is often treated as our final option rather than our first response. We worry, reason, complain, plan, seek advice, and attempt to solve everything ourselves. Then, when nothing else seems to work, we finally say, "I guess all we can do now is pray."

For the Christian, prayer should never be reduced to the thing we do when everything else fails. Prayer is where we begin.

First Peter 3:12 reminds us, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer." The suffering believer is never praying into an empty room. God hears His people.

That does not mean He always answers immediately or in the exact manner we expect. It does mean that suffering should drive us toward God rather than away from Him. When we hurt, we pray. When we are confused, we pray. When we cannot see what God is doing, we pray. Faith says, "Lord, I do not understand this situation, but I still trust You."

Praise When You Are Cheerful

James immediately gives another instruction: "Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise."

There is an important balance here. When we suffer, we pray. When we rejoice, we praise.

Sometimes people become very attentive to God during hardship but gradually forget Him when life becomes easier. Trouble drives us to prayer, but blessing can sometimes tempt us toward spiritual forgetfulness. James will not allow us to separate the two.

God is not merely the God we call upon during emergencies. He is also the God we praise when the sun is shining. Praise is an expression of gratitude. It acknowledges that every good thing we enjoy ultimately comes from God. Prayer therefore belongs to every season of life. We pray through the valleys, and we praise God from the mountaintops.

There Is Nothing Wrong With Asking Others to Pray

James continues: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him."

There is something deeply biblical about asking other believers to pray for us. Sometimes Christians hesitate because they do not want to burden anyone else. Others may feel embarrassed admitting that they are struggling. Still others believe they ought to be able to handle everything privately between themselves and God. But Christianity was never intended to be lived in complete isolation.

Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." There are burdens that become lighter when other believers help us carry them.

James specifically tells the sick person to call for the elders of the church. Elders were recognized spiritual leaders within the congregation - men whose maturity, experience, and faith made them appropriate people to come alongside those who were suffering.

This does not mean elders are the only Christians allowed to pray for the sick. Scripture repeatedly encourages believers to pray for one another. James is emphasizing that those who are suffering should not remain isolated. They should bring their need before the believing community and allow others to join them in prayer.

Jesus Himself emphasized the significance of believers agreeing together in prayer: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them" (Matthew 18:20). There are moments when we need another believer standing beside us saying, "I will pray with you."

The Prayer of Faith Trusts God to Act

James then writes, "And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up."

This is one of those passages that should be approached with both confidence and humility. We should not weaken Scripture simply because something is difficult for us to explain. James clearly presents God as a God who hears prayer, intervenes in human lives, forgives sin, strengthens the discouraged, and is able to bring healing.

At the same time, the prayer of faith is not a formula through which we control God. Faith is not demanding that God fulfill our preferred outcome. Faith is trusting Him.

Sometimes God raises a person from a sickbed. Sometimes He strengthens someone through a long illness. Sometimes He restores a discouraged heart. Sometimes He changes circumstances, and sometimes He changes us while the circumstances remain.

Psalm 145:14 says, "The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down." To be raised up by God can include far more than physical recovery. God lifts the discouraged. He restores the fallen. He gives hope to those who have lost hope. He forgives sin. He renews the weary. He changes our outlook and strengthens us to continue walking with Him.

We should therefore pray boldly while remaining surrendered. The prayer of faith says, "God can." Faith also says, "God knows best." And mature faith can say, "Whatever He chooses, I will continue trusting Him."

The Power Is Not in the Person Praying

One of the most encouraging statements in this passage concerns Elijah. James writes, "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours."

When we read the Old Testament accounts of Elijah, he can appear almost larger than life. God worked extraordinary miracles through him. He confronted kings, challenged the prophets of Baal, called Israel back toward God, and prayed concerning the rain. Yet James deliberately reminds us that Elijah was human.

He was not some supernatural category of believer unavailable to the rest of us. Elijah became discouraged. He became afraid. He experienced exhaustion. He had moments when his emotions overwhelmed him. And Elijah prayed.

James says Elijah prayed fervently that it would not rain, and the rain stopped. Later he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain. The lesson is not that every believer can command the weather. The lesson is that the effectiveness of prayer did not rest upon Elijah being an extraordinary human being. It rested upon an extraordinary God.

James had already written, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." That means prayer is not reserved for spiritual celebrities, famous preachers, missionaries, prophets, or people who seem to possess some extraordinary level of spirituality.

Ordinary believers can pray prayers of faith. The elderly saint sitting quietly in the back pew can pray. The new Christian who barely knows what words to use can pray. The person who feels weak can pray. The person who is discouraged can pray. The power is not in our eloquence. The power is in the God who hears.

Pray for Those Who Wander

James closes this section with another important responsibility: "My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back..."

Prayer must never become completely self-centered. There are people around us who have wandered spiritually. Some once walked closely with God but have drifted away. Others have become discouraged, offended, distracted, deceived, or entangled again in sin.

Our response should not be simply to criticize them. We should pray for them. We should care about them. And when God gives us the opportunity, we should lovingly seek to help bring them back.

Restoring someone who has wandered requires wisdom and grace. It does not mean excusing sin or ignoring truth. James specifically says they have wandered "from the truth." Restoration therefore involves helping someone return to both truth and fellowship with God.

Some of the most important prayers we ever pray may be prayers for people who are not currently praying for themselves. Keep praying for the child who has wandered. Keep praying for the friend who has grown cold toward God. Keep praying for the believer who has become discouraged. Keep praying for the person who seems far away. God may use your prayers, your words, your example, or your compassion as part of bringing that person back.

Pray Believing

The real question James leaves with us is not simply whether we pray. It is whether we pray in faith.

James addressed that question near the beginning of his letter when he wrote, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." But James adds an important qualification: "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting."

The prayer of faith is not about trying to manufacture an emotional certainty that God will do exactly what we want. It is something deeper. It is confidence in God Himself.

When we pray in faith, we are saying: God, I believe You hear me. I believe You are able. I believe You are good. I believe Your wisdom is greater than mine. I believe Your will is better than anything I could design for myself. And even when I cannot understand what You are doing, I will continue trusting You.

That is the prayer of faith.

When you suffer, pray. When you rejoice, praise. When you are sick or burdened, ask others to pray with you. When someone else is hurting, pray for them. When someone has wandered from the truth, pray that God will bring them home.

And through it all, remember this: The power of prayer does not rest in the person doing the praying. It rests in the God who hears.

©2026 Steven Miller Ministries