The Prayer of Faith

"Is 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. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."

James 5:14-15

It is the prayer of faith God will answer.  There is no special power in elders to pray, as if elders in the church know the secret words or a better chance because of tenure to acquire God's favour from any who are born again.  It is not the long-winded prayer of an orator which beckons the ear of God.  It is not a prayer of a professional, nor of someone whose prayers have been answered before.  There are no healing properties in oil applied to the sick which brings a miraculous cure:  it is the simple prayer of faith in God.  Prayer duration and diction do not enter into it, but a heart and mind compelled through faith.  Faith demonstrated by obedience is the key.

Do you realise God knows what you need even before you ask?  Our Heavenly Father is not like a the wicked judge in the parable Jesus told who must be pestered into action.  He is not like a man who forgets!  To think we must pray all night for God to earn the right to be heard or that we must repeat ourselves like a man before dumb idols who cannot hear is folly.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:7-8, "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  We always ought to pray without fainting (Luke 18:1), and the indwelling Holy Spirit is critical to lead us in prayer.  Romans 8:26 tells us, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

So if God knows what we need before we even ask Him, why bother to pray at all?  Because "Ask and ye shall receive" is a principle of the kingdom.  We are not to neglect asking, and we ought to examine our motives according to God's Word:  why am I asking?  James 4:2-3 says, "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."  We ought to be persistent in prayer, but there is no substitute for the prayer of faith.  It may be a lack of faith which causes you to harp on one string before the LORD day after day, thinking you must earn the right to be heard by speaking much.  If I believe God has heard me - prepared for my request long before I asked - I can have confidence in Him He has heard me and I will have my request as it is written in 1 John 5:14-15:  "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

No one has greater access to God because of their role in the Body of Christ or by virtue of the amount of oil used in anointing.  It is the prayer of faith according to God's will He hears and answers.  God is in control, and when we submit to His rule and trust Him, the heavens are freely opened to all who fear Him.  Hebrews 4:14-16 exhorts us, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Reading books on prayer will not teach you how to pray, nor can they impart faith to make your prayers fervent or effectual.  We need the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us.  Prayer simply ought to be done, and apart from faith in God will always be a fruitless endeavour.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 proclaims God's will for all:  "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  Boldly enter into God's throne room of grace, for in times of need you have an attentive audience with the Most High.  Paul was conscious he spoke to God thrice about the messenger of Satan in His life, knowing God had heard him clearly each time.  God may answer your prayer with "No," but what is true for Paul is true for all those who pray in faith:  "My grace is sufficient for you.  My strength is made perfect in weakness."  It is through the perceived weakness of prayer God's strength will be made manifest to all.

"As You Wish!"

In the classic film "The Princess Bride" based on a novel by William Goldman, a young woman found true love in a servant who worked for her.  When she made requests of him he would always answer, "As you wish."  The Grandfather, played by Peter Falk, read this line from his book:  "That day she was amazed to discover that when he was saying 'As you wish," what he meant was, 'I love you.'"  True love is always displayed through action, and Westley showed he loved Buttercup by his faithful service.

Being a hired hand, it may be said Westley did not have a choice whether he obeyed Buttercup or not.  But Westley certainly did have a choice.  It could have cost him his position or had other negative consequences, but Westley had the freedom to choose.  The same can be said for all people concerning belief, trust, and obedience.  God has given every person the freedom to choose who we will serve.  There are ultimately two final choices:  I am free to live according to my will or God's will.  Jesus held forth this truth as He bowed before His Father in heaven in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Luke 22:41-42 reads, "And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, ⁴² saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

God does not tell us His wishes - wistful thoughts of a powerless being who is at the mercy of men who claim to serve Him - but He has revealed unto those who trust God His perfect will.  God can accomplish all things without the aid of man, yet He has chosen to use people as His vessels infused with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus laid down the will of His flesh that He might do the will of the Father, and it is the same for us.  In all things we are either doing as we wish or submitting ourselves to do God's will.  It is through obedience to God's will we demonstrate our love for God, even as Westley proclaimed his love for Buttercup through faithful service.  As Jesus said in John 15:10, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."

Saying and doing as God wills is a way we display our love for God.  May our lives everyday plainly say to Jesus Christ our LORD, "I love you."

God's Love for You and Me

We have embarked on a study of Song of Solomon during our Sunday morning messages at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  The epic romance of the Shulamite and her beloved is like a rich tapestry, with multiple layers of meaning and insights into the love of God.  It is amazing to think of royalty courting and marrying a common working woman, but even more phenomenal to consider the great love of God for people.

As I studied the beginning of chapter 2, it dawned on me how Solomon's love for the Shulamite was revealed in at least five ways.  The love God has granted us by His grace ought to be love which marks our lives towards God and all we meet, especially those of the household of faith with whom we have been made one body through Christ.  The way Solomon displayed love for his betrothed is a striking parallel to the way the love of Jesus has been given to me.

Solomon's love for his betrothed was personal.  He affirmed his love through sincere compliments, and she was all fair in his eyes.  He preferred the company of his beloved over all others.  To him, it was as if she was the only woman around:  if she was a lily, all others compared to her as thorns.  He was a protector of his future mate, offering refuge like a shade tree from the sun's heat.  He provided for his beloved with their future in mind, building a lovely house they would share together.  Solomon also displayed his love publicly without embarrassment, and he rejoiced to claim his beloved as his own.

Isn't this strikingly similar to how Jesus has revealed His love for us?  The love of Jesus is personal:  He shed His blood for me.  Romans 5:8 reminds us, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  He prefers the company of those He calls friends, those who love Him and keep His commandments.  Jesus Christ is my refuge in whom I find rest.  He has provided for all my needs in this life, and is also preparing a place for me and all others who trust Him in heaven.  He has displayed His love publicly, dying on the cross to atone for sins.  As it is written of Christ in John 1:11-13, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Since God's love has been shed abroad in the hearts of Christ's followers through the Holy Spirit, so His love is to be dispensed through us to all.  Loving God and others with the sacrificial, active love of God confirms that we are indeed His, adopted into His royal family.  It is all of grace.  Let us not be ashamed of Christ or His gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe.

Angry With God?

During a discussion recently, the topic of conversation turned to one not often addressed:  being angry with God.  My friend observed he had noticed an increasing number of students and interns in Bible schools who claim to be currently "angry with God" like it is a badge of honour and justifiable.  For some time he noticed a growing trend - among professing Christians - who said they were angry with God.  That brings up a question:  is it OK to be angry with God?

The scripture says of anger in Ephesians 4:26, "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath..."  Whilst it is possible to be angry without sin, this scripture reveals it is impossible for us to remain angry without sin.  Solomon cautioned in Ecclesiastes 7:9, "Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools."  Frequent anger is an indication of foolishness, and a fool is someone who lives without regard or fear of God.  We would like to think we bristle with righteous indignation when we are angry, yet often the reality is anything but.

Scripture reveals times when God's anger was stirred up, and with the ridiculous caricatures of God often presented the occurrences are far more rare than one might think.  David wrote in Psalm 7:11, "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day."  When God perceives wickedness in His people, His righteous anger is aroused.  In Deuteronomy 9:20, God was very angry with Aaron the High Priest for leading the nation into idolatry.  God was angry with Moses for not sanctifying Him before the people (Deut. 1:37; 4:21).  1 Kings 11:9 reads, "So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice..."  To whom much is given much is required, and God's anger is aroused by sinfulness - not just among those who know not God, but to those He has revealed Himself.  Sin is the fuel and man supplies the fire through unbelief and sin which kindles the anger of God.  God's anger is provoked as a result of sin.

Our common motives for being angry are primarily selfish, usually concern over how we have been negatively affected by circumstances.  Since we are not in agreement or pleased with what God has seen fit to allow, we can become angry.  When Abel's sacrifice was accepted and Cain's was rejected, Cain was angry.  Whether he was specifically angry with God is not explicitly revealed in the text, but God warned Cain how sinful anger leads to more sin.  Genesis 4:6-7 says, "So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."  In the very next verse, Cain murdered his brother Abel.  Whenever we are angry, we do well to answer the question:  why am I angry?  Anger is often inflamed with sinful motives, and unless we repent it will surely lead to greater sin.

Another case of anger in God's people was after Jonah the prophet was sent by God to warn the Ninevites of coming judgment.  When they repented and mourned over their sin, God spared the people and the city.  Jonah 4:1 tells us Jonah's surprising reaction:  "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry."  Was Jonah angry at God?  Maybe.  Jonah complained God was slow to anger and relented from doing harm.  He felt so miserable it would be better for him to die than live.  In Jonah 4:4 God responded with a probing question:  "Then the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"  As Jonah continued to sulk and watched to see what would become of the city, God caused a plant to grow which shaded his head from the sun.  He was grateful for that!  During the night God prepared a worm to eat the plant and it died.  When the sun arose, God prepared a strong wind to blow on Jonah and he wished for death.  Jonah 4:9 says, "Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!"  It was not right for Jonah to be angry, and that is why He provided the plant, the worm, and the strong wind.  And when faced with his sinful anger over a plant, Jonah decided he would rather die than let it go.  When we hold on to sinful anger, it will eventually kill us.

There is only one instance in the Gospels I am aware of the Bible explicitly says Jesus Christ, God made flesh, was angry.  If you are thinking about when Jesus fashioned a whip and drove out the money-changers and animals, it was zeal the scripture tells us - not anger - prompted Him.  Since the scriptures do not explicitly say Jesus was angry on those two occasions, to say He must have been angry is conjecture at best and false accusation at worst.  It is also thought when Jesus "groaned" in His spirit before He raised Jesus from the dead, the Greek word suggests anger.  It is likely Jesus was angry many times (and moved by righteousness), but Jesus once was angry in the Gospels out of grief for the hardness of people's hearts, that they cared more for their animals than for a fellow man who was suffering.  We find the passage in Mark 3:1-5:  "And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. ² So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. ³ And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward." ⁴ Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they kept silent. ⁵ And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other."

When we are angry we do well to first admit we are angry, and then ask ourselves the questions God posed:  1) Why am I angry? 2) Is it right for me to be angry? We can also follow up with:  3) Am I choosing to remain angry?  If we will judge ourselves according to God's standard of righteousness, we will see there is never a righteous justification to be angry at a righteous God.  Because God's anger is only kindled by sin, and God is completely without sin, it is always a sin to be angry with God.  But you do not know what I've suffered, you might protest.  You're right.  I have no idea.  But I do know Job is a great example of a man who recognised God's goodness despite the grave trials he suffered, and there is no one save Christ who can claim such calamities befell them by the hand of God in a single day.  After Job was stripped of all his wealth, ten children, and his health, Job 2:9-10 says, "Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" ¹⁰ But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips."

Oh burdened heart, do not be angry at the only One who can deliver and save you!  No man can be angry at God justly.  Praise God His character is precisely as Jonah said:  "You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm."  If you find yourself angry with God, I beg you to confess it as sin and cast your cares upon Jesus who cares for you.  Is it right for you to be angry when Jesus willingly went to the cross, dying to deliver you from sinful anger?  Our anger cannot add to His when it comes to sin.  Remaining angry only kindles God's wrath, and repentance and faith in Christ provides our only escape.