The Potent Power of Prayer

Today I continue with a careful look at reconciliation and the guidelines given to us by James, the Apostle and brother of our Lord Jesus. I want us to consider v. 16 of his instructions:

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴Is 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. ¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:13-16).

 Therefore, confess your sins to one another . . . 


The therefore suggests that this final verse can happen only after the penitent believer has been raised up and forgiven. Note carefully that the power to confess your sins to one another does not come from the sinful human heart. And it does require an inner spiritual strength the believer does not have in and of himself. This strength comes from the Holy Spirit at work in his/her heart, convincing him/her daily of forgiveness and the endless love of the Lord Jesus. Christ is the One who raises us sinners up. Christ is the One who forgives and renews our lives.

Now, empowered by the living Christ the believer sets out to complete his work. Note also to one another.

In my work as a marriage and family counselor I know from much experience that healing of the marital relationship cannot and does not happen until both partners are prepared to confess their sins to one another. And I also know that unless each makes it clear that he or she is willing to forgive, the other one will not have the strength and the courage to make such a confession. But when mutual confessing begins, then healing also begins.

This is true in a congregation when members are in conflict with one another. All involved must first be prepared to come humbly and penitently before Christ's throne of grace, receive forgiveness and rise to acknowledge that we are beggars before God. As in the hymn, "Nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to the cross I cling."

Once we are prepared to confess our sins to one another and to forgive one another, new doors open. Suddenly we begin to work together to deal with the real issues and problems that divided us. I say suddenly because this seems so obvious when we look back, but our vision was clouded and blocked until we accepted one another as forgiven brothers and sisters in Christ. Once we do that we begin to see that there are indeed some answers, some solutions, some mutually agreeable ways to move forward. Marriage partners begin to have some real and frank discussions about sex, money, in-laws, the raising of their children or whatever it was that brought them into conflict. Congregation members find new ways to approach worship or confirmation practices or disagreements about the parking lot or a hundred other issues that bring on conflict.

and pray for one another, that you may be healed. . . 


Need I say it again? Healing is a gift. It comes from Jesus, the Great Physician and Healer. In the power of His Spirit, we are able to move out of our self-centeredness and begin to pray for Him to bless and rescue and guide one another. And He does. Our eyes are opened by Him. We see what should have been so obvious all the time. We hear and understand the words spoken. Now they make sense. And in our hearts we finally understand what those others were saying and doing. It all begins to come together. We become one in Christ. This is healing indeed. His power is at work in us and among us.

The prayer of a righteous man has great power as it is working. 


There is energy in such prayer, the energy and power of Jesus. It is great energy. It renews, restores, and raises us up. When a pastor confesses before his congregation that he too is a sinner and when those in conflict with him accept his forgiveness and forgive him, even as they too are forgiven—when that happens, something new, strange and wonderful begins to happen in that congregation. The true life and power and energy of Jesus, the Living Word, begins to spread among them. The same is true in families and marriages.

My prayer is that all of us who read James' instructions and guidance see it for what it is, the very Word of God. And I pray that we take it to heart and make it a part of our daily lives, in our marriages, our families and our congregations.

James concludes this section of his teaching by reminding us of Elijah who prayed that his people might be led to confess their sins. They had to endure the pain and loss of  three and a half years of drought and then rain.  This led to Elijah's confrontation with King Ahab's prophets of Baal and ultimately to a radical renewal of faith in the land. Not only did the earth bear fruit. The Word of God began to nurture and bear new fruit in the hearts of believers. This too is my prayer, that new fruit may be born in the hearts of us all (Luke 8:8).

What More Could I Have Done?

I feel compelled on this Christmas Eve day to reply to what you, my anonymous friend wrote as you reflected upon my December 19 Blog: Questions On The Journey. You wrote,

"As I am just beginning my seventh decade of life, I find I am wrestling with some of the same questions. I must confess that I have spent maybe too much time wondering "How many of them will continue the endless journey with me in that country called Heaven?" In this regard I probably also feel a little sad when I reflect on what more I could have done--particularly as relates to my children and still I cling to the promise, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved--you and your household. I know that faith is God's doing; but surely He needs my help-- doesn't He?"

What believing parent doesn't struggle with such questions: What more could I have done? Doesn't the Lord Jesus need my help?

I often encountered similar questions in the days of my public ministry as I heard parents blaming themselves for the sins, shortcomings, failures and even unbelief of their children. "What more could I have done?" they asked. "What did I not do to keep my son from getting into drugs? How did I fail my daughter that she became pregnant out of wedlock--and secretly had an abortion? Where did I go wrong that I have a son who is now in jail for stealing and writing bad checks?"

The list went on and on.

As I hear you asking the same questions, the most important thing I can do is point you to a promise given by our God through the Apostle John. Read about it in 1 John 1:

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

What does the Apostle say? He says that you must listen to your conscience. If you try to deceive yourself you avoid the truth. The truth is hard to look at. You may have contributed to the direction your son or daughter took with his or her life. Do not attempt to hide from it. What you want, above all, is for the truth to be in you.

But do not stop there. Do not allow your guilt to drag you down into the pit of despair and hopelessness. That is precisely what happens to many parents. And when it does the devil leaps with joy. Instead, the counsel of the Holy Spirit is to confess your sin.

But what does that mean? What does it mean to confess your sin?

It may be necessary to be specific about the guilt you carry. Such confessing can best be done in private, before a trusted believer. But even better, confess before a pastor called to speak on Christ's behalf. Look at your sin and own it before him.

Here the Bible gives us the example of King David to follow (see 2 Samuel 11-12 and Psalm 51). David failed himself, his marriage, his children, his nation and his God by his affair with Bathsheba. Ultimately he was confronted by the prophet Nathan who served as his personal spiritual advisor and pastor. David confessed his sin and Nathan announced the LORD's forgiveness. It was absolutely necessary that David own up to his failings and then hear God speak to him through his pastor. Nathan said, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die." That Word of forgiveness empowered David and renewed him, even though he had to suffer through the short term and long term consequences of his sinning.



So, my friend, heed the counsel of the Spirit. Meditate upon 1 John 1. Turn over in your heart and mind what the LORD is saying to you. Listen to your conscience. Confess your sin, if necessary before your pastor. And then joyfully receive the forgiveness of God.

And go in peace. All is in the hands of your loving God, including the children for whom you daily pray. Today we celebrate Christmas. We remember again why Jesus was born of Mary. As the angel said to the shepherds, "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2).