The Book of James Week Six Lesson Four

“Faithful in Prayer”

“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. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.” James 5:16-18

Confession is an essential part of prayer. Jesus taught us in the “Lord’s Prayer” to “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.” To be forgiven, we must confess our need to be forgiven and also, we must forgive others. Confession removes the obstacle of sin so God can do His work in us by forgiving us.

Read James 5:16. What is the result of the prayer of a righteous person?

To have a right relationship with God we need to humble ourselves before Him and confess our sins to Him. God knows everything about us and what we have done. There is no sense in not being totally honest with Him and ourselves. After confession, we can pray more effectively. It is the first step in prayer so we can have true open communication with the Father.

Let’s take a look at an example James gives us in the rest of our text for today.

Read James 5:17-18. Who does James us for an example?

What did he do?

What happened?

Why do you think James uses this person as an example?

James says the Prophet Elijah was a mere human just like the rest of us and yet God worked mightily through him. James used him as an example to show what God can do through a mere human who places their full trust in Him. God was revealed to those who knew Elijah because he was faithful and believed God when he prayed.

We have a tendency as humans to place others up on a pedestal and give them the glory for miracles we’ve seen in their lives. We look at others in the church and ministry and deem them more special than we are. The truth is God has given us all the right to approach Him too. He wants to work through all of us and reveal His glory to those we encounter. Just think of how many more people would come to know Jesus if we would just believe that.

Read 1 Kings 17:1. What message did Elijah give to Ahab?

How did Elijah identify himself?

Read 1 Kings 18:1-2. What did God tell Elijah?

What did Elijah do?

Read 1 Kings 18:41-46. Did it rain right away?

Did Elijah stop praying and believing God?

Did God ever answer Elijah’s prayer? When?

Elijah was faithful and persistent in his prayers. By being faithful and persistent, we aren’t trying to change God’s mind by badgering Him with more and more prayer. Rather, our prayers are to be acknowledgements of wanting His will and His timing. Our goal in prayer is for His will to be accomplished and for Him to be glorified so the world around us knows our answers come from God.

God isn’t a genie in a bottle, a Buddha belly we can rub or a rabbit’s foot we can hold. God is God and He is determined to be glorified in our lives as Christians. It is our responsibility and privilege to come to Him and bow in humility before Him. We can ask Him for anything in Jesus’ Name and He will do it according to His perfect will, not ours.

We must not become discouraged when we feel we’re not hearing from God. We must remain faithful and persistent in our prayers. God is not reluctant to answer us. His timetable is not like our timetable. By being faithful in prayer we are developing a Christ-like character. He grows us and matures us as we remain faithful to Him.

How do you view your prayer life?

Is confession part of it? Why or why not?

God wants to talk with you. He wants to hear what is on your heart even though He already knows. Remain faithful in your prayers. Don’t give up. God hears you. God loves you. He wants you to be healed and whole. Let go of the secrets you think you are hiding and confess them to Him. You’ll be surprised how much better you will feel. Find a godly person you trust and tell them. Ask them to pray with you and for you. Take this step of faith and find forgiveness and healing at the feet of Jesus. Surrender you life to Him completely.

Write your prayer of confession here and allow God in completely:

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