James’ Prayer Principle || James 5:16 || Weekend Wind-Down #1

Let me introduce/re-introduce this new series. If you remember my Mid-Week Midrash series, this will seem familiar. If not, then you’re in for a fun treat. This new series is our way to take the daily verse for that day, gain its context, and see what practice we can take and apply to our lives.

Today, we look at James 5:16:

16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Face Value

What does this verse say to us today? We should confess what we do wrong to each other and pray for and with each other to receive healing. What healing is this? I assume it means mental or spiritual-based healing, but it doesn’t say it explicitly. These prayers are powerful, but they need to come from someone righteous. A righteous person is someone who is morally right or justifiable. The prayer must also be said earnestly, meaning they must be sincere. This concept feels fair because we should be sincere when we come to God. 

Is this the correct understanding? Is this what we’re supposed to walk away with? Let’s dive deeper into it. 

Background 

James wrote this book to expose the world’s hypocritical practices and teach his audience how to live as proper Christians.

James 5 opens up with a warning to rich people (1-6), where James shares the worthlessness of riches. He reminds his audience to focus on the treasures that will further the kingdom of Heaven. James doesn’t condemn money or rich people because money is essential for the church’s work. It’s the love of money that he’s calling out. James reminds us to remember why and how we spend our money. 

James then discusses patience and endurance (7-12), focusing on waiting for Jesus’s second coming. James wants his audience to focus on something other than blaming others or complaining about each other. He reminds them of how to do this by sharing examples from the Old Testament, such as Job, Moses, Elijah, and Jeremiah.

James talks about the power of prayer (13-18), making prayer simple. Are you suffering? Pray. Are you happy? Praise. Are you sick? Ask for help. Confessing sins helps one heal and helps build a community of people to pray with and care for each other.

James closes this chapter (19-20) by discussing the believers who have left their faith. He reminds his audience that whoever walks away and comes back will be forgiven.

Dig Deeper

Focusing on verse 16 today pulls us into the middle of James’s conversation about prayer. What is he saying in this context?

As a Christian, I recognize that prayer is one of the most if not the most, powerful tool we have in connecting with God. James’s persistence in talking about prayer reminds his audience and us that prayer should often come first in life. God has infinitely greater power than we do, so relying on prayer feels like a clear plan. 

The sacrifice that Jesus made for us allowed us to go directly to God. Before this, we had to go through many layers of pastors and church leaders to connect with God or make specific sacrifices in certain ways to talk to God. Jesus paying the price for our sins opens the door for us to go to God directly, boldly, and humbly. Understanding the depth of what Jesus did is essential to James’s audience and should also be necessary to us today. 

An essential part of James’s prayer principle is confessing to each other. There are four examples of how this type of confession works.

• If we sinned against someone, we must ask that person for forgiveness. 
• If our sin affects the church (or a large group of people), we must name or confess it publicly. 
• If we need support as we struggle with our sins, we need to confess it to someone that can help support us. 
• If, after confessing our sin privately to God, we don’t still feel God’s forgiveness, we can confess it to another Christian to receive assurance of God’s forgiveness. 

The other part of James’s prayer principle is that the prayers must come from righteous people. They can effectively pray for others because they have confessed their sins and have the right relationship with God. 

Take-Home Point

With those two parts of James’s prayer principle, what are we to walk away with?

Confessing our sins is both scary and powerful. We don’t want to admit the wrongs we’ve committed. We don’t want to feel anxious in the conversation when it gets awkward and quiet. We don’t want to sit in that uncomfortableness. We don’t want to feel the potential judgment from others. These emotions are the scary part.

Yet, opening the door to that conversation allows many good things to happen. The weight of the burden you were carrying can feel lighter. The relationship with the person we’re talking to can feel stronger, as well as the trust we can have with this person. It also helps the other person become vulnerable to the point where they share their sin with you. 

Let’s go through the four examples of confession that James refers to and do deeper. 

If we’ve sinned against someone, we must ask for forgiveness. Even if we don’t believe we’re wrong, we need that forgiveness. Even if what we did is not 100% wrong, we need that forgiveness. Even if you think the other person deserved it, we need that forgiveness. Our God is a god of love and calls on us to love others as Jesus loved us. God encourages us to forgive others, just as he forgave us.

If our sin affects our community, we must confess it publicly. This act is scary to do in a group setting, but it can also be freeing and remove the awkwardness in the group dynamic. Your community could be your church, workplace, or friend group. Being vulnerable about your sinful actions and their consequences is how we can progress as a society. Own them. Name the elephant in the room. Be vulnerable in your circle and know God is standing with you.

If we need support as we struggle with sin, we must confess it to those who can help us. This person should be trustworthy, a pastor, a therapist/counselor – anyone with the resources, guidance, and support to walk alongside you in those moments. It’s hard to ask for help, especially with those ins that may change how others perceive you. Being vulnerable with people you trust and those who know nothing about you is uncomfortable. I encourage you to find a trusted friend to walk you on your journey.

If you still don’t feel God’s forgiveness after confessing, James recommends confessing it to another believer and receiving God’s forgiveness. Have fruitful conversations about why you continue to do those sinful acts, even though you want to stop. Do a Bible study together that goes over your sin, and have fruitful conversations about how you interpret it. God did not create us to do life by ourselves. Invite a close friend to walk with you.

Prayer

I hope you found this wind-down helpful in understanding this verse from James. Please take some time this weekend to reflect on this scripture and what it means. If you are comfortable, let me know what God reveals to you in the reflection. I share this prayer with you as well.

Connecting God,

Thank you for this path created by your Son that allows us to have a relationship. 

May we talk with you about the highs and lows of life as we progress through it.

Amen.