James 5:13-18 Study Guide: A Holistic Life of Prayer

Community Group Study Guide — A Holistic Life of Prayer
James 5:13-18

Study Information:
Out of all the New Testament books, the book of James is the one with the greatest focus on living of a life of wisdom. The content is very practical and works through suffering, how to hear and do the word of God, the role of faith and actions, the need to draw near to God, and more. James implored his audience to seek heavenly wisdom and to live a life of faith in accordance with God’s way. It is interesting that James ends his letter on wisdom with a focus on prayer. Many Christians find prayer to be a challenge. The reasons vary from boredom, not knowing how to pray, false views about God and the challenge that we’re talking to a God we cannot physically see or hear from. James ends his letter with prayer because of how it undergirds spiritual wisdom and so that we’d understand the corporate nature of prayer and how God uses it to accomplish his work in the world.

Pray Personally
James 5:13
Many of us are quick to pray when we have a big life need or in times of suffering. It seems like our helplessness and dependence pulls prayer out of us quickly as we need to rely on God’s power and presence. Our human weakness and limitations push us towards prayer. James acknowledged that when he wrote “is anyone suffering? Let him pray,” but James did not stop there, he also pushed us to pray when we are cheerful. The word for “praise” in Greek is the same word we have for “Psalm” which is the Hebrew poetry book in the Old Testament. “Praise” implies having your head up and being delighted. This is important for us to understand, God invites us to pray when we’re suffering and in need and when we’re cheerful and happy. James gives us a view of prayer as an “all of life” activity and that God invites us to turn our thoughts and attention towards him all the time. Do you struggle with prayer during the good times or do you find the idea of God responding to your suffering hard to fathom? James desired for us to understand God as a delighted and attentive Father who responds to our suffering and our joy in his love. 

Pray Together
James 5:14-16
Prayer is something we do together, whether we’re prayed for by our spiritual leaders (Elders) or we pray with one another with confessing of sins or bringing our needs to God together. 

Wisdom for prayer includes seeking the prayers of your elders when you’re sick. Our elders delight to pray for people and to anoint them with oil as they seek God’s work in their healing. The oil symbolized God’s presence through the Holy Spirit and provision and was something the disciples of Jesus used when they were sent out to proclaim the kingdom of God and heal the sick (Mark 6:7-13). You may feel like you’re inconveniencing the elders or others when asking for Prayer, but nothing can be further from the truth. 

Likewise we pray together as we confess our sins to one another and pray for each other so we can be healed. There is a connection here with unconfessed sin and physical sickness; it is not always the case but we do see some examples of this in scripture like Paul’s warning to the Corinthians about not taking communion in an unworthy manner and the writer of Hebrews focusing on God disciplining those he loves (1 Corinthians 10:29-30, Hebrews 12:3-11). However James’ focus is more than physical healing, he was also writing about  the healing we experience spiritually when we’re freed from the burden of unconfessed sin. Unconfessed sin has power and tries to keep us in the darkness, when we confess our sin to one another we are able to bear each others burdens and find freedom from that particular sin through the power of Christ (Galatians 6:1-2). 

Pray And Trust God to Work
James 5:17-18
You may be tempted to think that God only answers the prayers of the super spiritual people in the Bible or the present day church. James understood this and took an example from the Old Testament of a powerful prophet in Elijah whom God answers prayer for when Elijah prayed for rain to stop and then prayed for rain to start up again. This moment from Elijah’s life was a wake up call for God’s people who were drifting away from God to return. The point James made though was not “look how holy and special Elijah was!” Rather, his point was, “Elijah has a human nature just like yours.” We think God only responds to a certain type of person’s prayer but that is not the case, all the people who read about in the scripture have a human nature with real human needs and weakness and temptations just like us. James wrote that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”This means two things. First, we should not be walking in unconfessed and unrepentant sin and expect God to respond to our prayers. Second, we have a new kind of access to God because of who we are in Jesus Christ. Through faith we are counted in Christ and seen as righteous in God’s sight. Hebrews 4:14-16 spoke about this access to God, that we can boldly approach the throne of grace and receive mercy and help in time of need because of Jesus. You may be tempted to think that God doesn’t hear your prayers because you are not smart enough, good enough or use the right words, but that thought is not from God. God invites his children to pray to him on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus and the access we have to God through Christ. 


At your community group:

Take 15-20 minutes to share about how God has been at work in your life, prayer concerns and pray for one another.

How did God speak to you through the scripture and the sermon this week? 

Discussion Questions:
Read James 5:13-18

Why would a New Testament letter focused on wisdom conclude with a section on prayer? What is the relationship between prayer and Christian living?

How is prayer an all of life activity? Do you find yourself more inclined to pray during times of suffering or times when things are going well?

Do you find yourself tempted to believe that God hears the prayers of others but not your own? What are some reasons someone could feel that way? 

What are some steps you can take to grow in prayer?