"The Prayer Of
Faith..."
James 5:15
James assures us that
the prayer of faith, the prayer that is born of and caused by faith in Christ,
shall save the sick. Of course the word "save" means
"deliver." The prayer of faith shall, most assuredly, deliver the
sick from his sickness. What is "the prayer of faith"? The next verse
tell us: "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous mean availeth
much."
THE PRAYER OF FAITH IS
"EFFECTUAL". The word used by James means "in wrought". It
is a prayer wrought in, or produced in the heart of a believer by the Spirit of
God. It is a prayer that is found in the heart (II Sam.
THE PRAYER OF FAITH IS
"FERVENT". Faith is im- portunate.It will not give up its plea until
it obtains the mercy it seeks(Luke 11:8-10).Like the
Syrophenician woman, faith cannot be turned away (Matt.
THE PRAYER OF FAITH IS
THE PRAYER OF "A RIGHTEOUS MAN", one who has been made righteous by
the imputation of Christ's righteousness to him and by the cleansing of his
blood. It is the prayer of one who draws near to, calls upon, and is accepted
of God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:15; Heb. 7:25).
AND THE PRAYER OF FAITH
"AVAILETH MUCH".The prayer of the righteous is God's delight;therefore "he heareth the prayer of the
righteous" (Prov. 15:8,29). "And this is the confidence that we have
in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know
that we have the petitions that we desired of him" (I John 5:14-15).We
have what we desire, because what we desire is what our heavenly Father desires
- his will and his glory. We gladly subject all our desires to these two
things. The prayer of faith is free of selfish desire and personal want(James 4:3). The prayer of faith wants what God has
purposed.Therefore,it is always effectual. If my will
is subject to and in harmony with my Father's will, I may, and most assuredly
shall, have what I will.
Don Fortner