Prayer is Effective

Many motivational speakers are touring the country. Many talk show hosts seek to motivate people to change: Oprah, Dr. Phil, Montel. But, while motivation is good, God is the only one that can really change your life. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is a must if you are to have spiritual victory. Through prayer, God helps us change our perspective and strengthens the inner person.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, when Jesus drove the money changers and other swindlers out of the Temple, he stated, “My house should be a house of prayer.” James gives us some insight into the function of prayer in the church.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
—James 5:13-18

(v. 14) Anointing with Oil—In the Bible, oil was used as a medicine (Good Samaritan Luke 10:30-37)- and a symbol of the Spirit of God (Anointing of Kings- I Samuel 16:1-13). Oil can be effective in the physical and spiritual realms of life. We should never separate the physical from the spiritual. For Christians, Christ is Lord over the Spirit and the Body.

(v. 15) The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the LORD will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.—The Life Application Bible Commentary states “The prayer must be from the heart, sincere, with trust in obedience to God, and with no doubting (see James 1:5-8). The believing is the role of the elders who are praying, not the sick person’s (nothing is said about his or her faith). It is possible that the sick person’s faith is exercised in calling the elders….The process insures dependence of believers on each other.

(v15) The Lord will raise him up.—God does the healing, not the elders.

(v.16) confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another—Christians are not to suffer alone. Christians should expect their fellow Christians to pray for them. Also, Christians should allow others to pray for them. Make your needs known to the body of Christ.

In Bible Study Groups, “Prayer Request Time” should be much shorter than the actual length of the prayers offered. The scripture says “Pray for one another” not talk about one another. Many times a prayer request can be an attempt to religiously launder gossip. Current health care Laws (HIPPA) requires that all health care information remain confidential and secure. So, in church we must respect the privacy of each other. However, if someone gives us permission to share the information with the church, we should as soon as possible.

When someone requests that you pray for them, do it immediately. I have practiced praying with any individual that requests prayer at the time of the request.


(v. 16) And the prayer of faith will save the sick—God heals and responds to the faith of our praying.

Prayer is not a last resort. Prayer is the first step in any activity we engage.

Effective Prayer…

1) Changes us.


My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.—I John 3:18-23

2) Changes others.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
—Matthew 9: 37-38