Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:13-16, KJV)
‘The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.’ Powerful prayer works! The original Greek of the Bible often uses a special word for power: dunamis – it signifies miraculous, wonder-working power. From it we get the words dynamo (which generates power), and dynamite (the explosive). If you want prayer to work, to change your circumstances, then it must generate power. And it has to be like dynamite. If you put an ordinary explosive against a wall, its energy disperses into space. But dynamite does not dissipate its energy – it pushes the wall down! That’s what our prayer must be like. It’s got to move mountains! We must learn how to talk to God, until our praying will move every mountain, every obstruction, everything that stands between us and the fulfilment of God’s promises.
James 5 primarily addresses issues related to wealth, patience, prayer, and the power of faith.
Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten, (v1-2): James starts by warning the rich about the consequences of their misdeeds, emphasising the transient nature of wealth and the importance of righteous living.
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, (v8): Patience in Suffering; James encourages believers to be patient in times of suffering, just as farmers patiently wait for the harvest; he underscores the importance of steadfastness and endurance.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, (v16): The Power of Prayer; James emphasises the power of prayer, encouraging believers to pray in times of trouble and to pray for one another; he highlights the effectiveness of fervent and righteous prayers.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed, (v16): Confession and Healing; James discusses the importance of confessing sins to one another and praying for each other's healing; he connects the healing of the sick with righteous living and the prayer of a righteous person.
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months, (v17): The Example of Elijah; James cites the example of Elijah as a powerful prayer warrior, emphasising that Elijah's prayers had a significant impact and that believers today can experience similar results through fervent prayer.
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins, (v20): Restoration of Wanderers; James concludes by addressing the responsibility of believers to help restore those who have strayed from the truth, turning them back to the path of righteousness.
In essence, James 5 encourages believers to live righteously, be patient in times of trial, rely on the power of prayer, and actively support one another in their spiritual journeys.