The Prayer of Faith is Powerful and Effective

St Timothy Presbyterian Church in Toronto: Sermons

Scripture Passage

James 5:13-20

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Sermon Script

The prayer of faith is powerful and effective. That's what I want to reflect on today.

Today's passage begins with this sentence:

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. (James 5:13)

If you have the answers for your problems and challenges, then you don't need prayer. You can figure it out.

But there are times when you can't figure it out. There are challenges that are beyond your capabilities.

The prayer of faith happens when you know you need God.

The Canaanite woman came to Jesus, begging him to heal her sick daughter.

Jesus said that he had come only to save the lost sheep of Israel. She persisted in asking for his help.

This is what happened:

He answered, It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs. She said, Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table. (Matthew 15:26-27)

She was desperate. She would not give up. She knew she needed Jesus' help and would take even the crumbs he offered.

That is the prayer of faith.

Jesus was moved by her faith and healed her daughter.

When you don't have the strength to carry on. When you are at your wits end. When things are beyond your capabilities.

Turn to God in prayer.

The prayer of faith opens up your heart to God. It lifts up the cries of your heart to God.

When your heart is immersed in prayer, something mysterious happens.

Your circumstances are no different after that prayer. Nothing has changed.

But something in you has changed.

Where before the prayer you felt weak, now you feel strength.

Where before you felt despair and hopelessness, now somehow you are able to carry on.

The prayer of faith brings you into God's presence, and that presence strengthens you.

That has been my experience.

That is what St. Paul discovered. That is why he was able to say:

For whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

The prayer of faith is powerful and effective.

I pray that you may discover this power of prayer when you are feeling weak and hopeless.

But there are times when your strength is so gone that you cannot even bring yourself to prayer.

James says this in today's passage:

Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up. (James 5:14-15)

The prayer of faith is not only something you do. It is something you receive from others.

When you are too weak to pray for yourself, you have the community that prays over you.

This is the essence of a spiritual community.

The prayer of faith will give strength to one who has none. It will give faith to one who is lacking in faith.

In that way, the prayer of faith is a gift not just for yourself but for the community.

When you cannot pray for yourself, turn to this community of faith.

You are not alone.

Turn to your elders and ask them to pray over you. This is why we have elders. They are called and ordained to pray over you when you cannot pray for yourself.

Elders: that is your role above all others. Love them, be connected with them to know when to pray over them.

We receive the prayer of faith when we cannot pray for ourselves. It is also something we give to others.

One of the joys in ministry is doing pastoral visits. I learn so much about people's lives.

Towards the end, I always ask what I can pray for.

I cannot do anything for them. But the most important thing I can do is pray for them.

Prayer is a gift for us to give to one another.

It is not only elders and ministers who are able to do that. That is something we can all give to one another.

Prayer is a gift for the community.

Praying for one another brings God's presence near.

Jesus said this:

For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18:20)

When we pray for and over one another, Jesus is right there with us.

The weight of the world is heavy. Sometimes it is too much to bear. So many people bear that burden all by themselves.

But we shouldn't have to. That is not God's will.

God gave us this community to bear one another's burdens. God gave us the gift of prayer.

I am so thankful for our youth ministry. It is such a precious ministry.

We have such strong young adults in our church because of the foundations laid during their youth.

Retreats are powerful, formative times for them. That's why we place such importance on them.

And the singular most powerful part of retreats are the moments when people pray for each other. They share their burdens and they invoke God's presence on each other.

God is truly there as they pray.

But the gift of prayer is not only for youth.

I pray that this church can be a place where people's burdens are lifted through prayers we offer for one another.

The prayer of faith is powerful and effective.

The prayer of faith gives you strength when you have none. It is a gift we can offer to one another.

The prayer of faith is powerful and effective in another way: it brings about God's will for peace, healing and reconciliation.

This is how St. Paul articulates God's will:

For he (Christ) is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us, abolishing the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. (Ephesians 2:14-16)

That is why Christ came.

To break down the dividing walls. To create in himself one new humanity. To reconcile us to God and put to death hostility.

The will of God seems so far off from the reality we see in the world.

The conflict in the Middle East is escalating as we speak.

There is so much hostility to immigrants and migrants in the United States that's also spilling over into Canada.

All around us, we sense hostility.

A friend of mine who returned to Toronto from LA recently asked, Why are people so mean here?

What can bring about God's will for peace and reconciliation?

James says this:

Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. (James 5:16)

God's will for peace will happen in communities bound together by prayer.

Prayer and confession go hand in hand.

We confess our sins to each other and we invoke God's power in prayer to bind us together.

We invite God's supernatural power to overcome divisions, heal the animosities and hurts in our hearts, and make us one in our differences.

Only prayer has the power to do this.

I experienced the power of prayer in Sioux Valley.

Sharing is very important. Sharing your heart creates the opening.

But that is just the setup.

THE most powerful impact of that trip was praying with them. Prayer is what gave them strength.

As we mark this year's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we can't do anything to change the past.

But we seek healing for the present that will create a new path for the future.

Healing will happen in spiritual communities built on prayer. Prayer will bind hearts together and give new vision for the way forward.

The prayer of faith is powerful and effective.

When you have no strength, turn to God.

When you cannot pray, turn to others to pray for you.

When your heart is filled with hostility, let prayer heal you and bring reconciliation.

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