Pessimistic Praying (When You Pray but Don’t Believe)

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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 one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. (James 5:13-14).

According to James 5:13-18, there is a type of praying that prevails in a believer’s life. When you get serious about studying Biblical praying, you quickly discover that there is a right way and a wrong way to pray. Could this be why the disciples asked Jesus in Luke 11:1 after watching Him pray, “Lord, teach us how to pray.”

I find their question fascinating. Why the disciples not ask Jesus to teach them how to reach or teach them how to heal? Why did they not ask Him to teach them how to form parables or debate Pharisees? I think it is because they saw that the power of Christ’s ministry came through His praying. In the Gospels, we find Jesus praying in the mornings, we find Him praying, at times, all the through the night. Even though Jesus came to this earth as the Son of God, He still relied on prayer. How much more should we rely on the power of prayer?

So to learn how to pray in a way that prevails, let us examine closely what James teaches us about prayer.

Is Anyone Among You Suffering? Let Him Pray
I appreciate the transparency the Bible gives the believer. The Bible never promises that if we follow Jesus our lives will be easy and comfortable. It actually says the exact opposite for Jesus told us, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The Greek word for suffering in James 5:13 is different from the word sickness used later in the verse. Suffering means any type of hardship. It means to be afflicted. So James is talking about life pressures that we all face from time to time. It could mean job loss, relationship problems, issues with wayward children or grandchildren, financial concerns or any other type of worry.

The Bible tells us that when we face these difficulties, the answer is to pray. As simple as that sounds, we often neglect this Biblical advice. We do everything but pray! I heard someone say one time that people treat prayer like a spare tire. We are glad it is there, but just hope we do not have to use it. No! Prayer should not be the last resort, prayer should be our first priority, especially when we are facing difficult circumstances.

Is Anyone Cheerful? Let Him Sing
I am so glad James includes this phrase. It reminds us that the Believer’s life goes through seasons. There will be seasons of difficulty, but take heart because there will also be seasons of joy! When those cheerful times come, don’t fall back into spiritual apathy. Instead, remember to sing and be joyful before the Lord. Singing is an important element to our spiritual lives. Even if you are not a good singer, you can “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalms 98:4).

Is Any Among You Sick?
Now that James has dealt with those who suffering and afflicted with life’s troubles, and now that he has addressed those who in a good and blessed season of life, now he is going to address those who are sick.

James tells us a pattern to follow when sickness comes into a believer’s life. He says first call for the elders of the Church. Now, why would James say this? I think it is because there is a tendency to become isolated when sickness comes upon us. James is telling us to not go through sickness alone but to call for the elders of the Church.

The elders are the pastors of the Church. This is where the authority of the local church is. A Biblical principle when dealing with sickness is to take authority over it. We pray with the authority of the Holy Spirit. We quote Scriptures with the authority the Bible promises. We end our praying in the authority of Jesus’ Name. When we call for the elders of the Church, it represents the authority of the Church.

Next, he says we are to anoint with oil. Why is this significant? Because it represents the precious Holy Spirit that is active within us. When we anoint someone with oil, we inviting the work of the Holy Spirit to take effect.

The Prayer of Faith
Notice what James says will heal a believer. It is not the elders and it is not the oil, but it is the prayer of faith. Isn’t this what Jesus told us in Mark 11:22, “Have faith in God”? Faith is a very precious gift from the Lord (Romans 12:3).

This is a very important principle. If we pray in a wrong manner (without faith), then we will hinder the effectiveness of our prayers. But when we pray in faith, then our prayers have God’s power to them. Doesn’t Hebrews 11:6 teach us that without faith it is “impossible to please God.”?

God will not accept pessimistic prayers. It is faith that God responds too and it is faith that God honors. Are your prayers saturated in faith? Faith makes the difference in our prayer. But remember what we said about Mark 11:22, it is not faith in the outcome we want or faith that God is going to do what we asked. Rather, it is faith in God. This means the obedient Christian submits to the perfect will of God. Yes, we ask the Lord for our needs and petitions, but ultimately, our faith is not in the outcome, our faith is in God alone as we know that He is good and His will is perfect.