Pray for one another

The letter of James is one of the bluntest in the whole of the New Testament, if not the Bible ! The fact that it’s a favourite of mine probably indicates that I enjoy being challenged. James talks about doing not talking, saying that faith without works is dead; he talks of the dangers of a loose tongue; the challenges of temptation; he warns against judging one another, against the dangers of using wealth unjustly, and advises his readers to be patient in times of suffering… This evening we hear the last passage of the letter (James 5: 13-20) – it’s very difficult and occasionally dangerous to choose just one verse, or one part of a verse to consider, but this evening I want to think of the words of James, ‘Pray for one another’… Within the New Testament there are at least 50 verses which talk about ‘one another’… For example, ‘love one another’ (Jn.13:34,35; Gal 5:14), ‘encourage one another’ (Heb 3:13; 10:24,25), ‘Be devoted to one another’ (Rom 12:10), ‘Build up one another’ (Rom 14:19; 1 Thess 5:11), ‘Don’t judge one another’ (Rom 14:13) and ‘Forgive one another’ (Eph 4:32)… Christian fellowship involves being part of a group – being concerned for one another and recognising that we have responsibilities to consider the needs of one another… And a fundamental part of that fellowship is to do as James says, to ‘pray for one another’… It could be said that there are 3 kinds of prayer – upward, inward and outward… Upward prayer focuses on God – they are prayers of adoration and praise and prayers of thanksgiving… Inward prayer focuses on ourselves – they are prayers of confession and humility as well as prayers for strength to live as God wants us to live, and guidance as to what that way is ! Outward prayer focuses on others – praying for the needs of people all around us… In this section that is the sort of prayer that James is writing about – praying for people close to us in our families, praying for friends, for our Church family that its members may live knowing they are supported by the prayers of others, and for those all around our communities and the world who we may not even know, but whose needs we become aware of… Praying for one another is a duty of our Christian commitment – but as well as a duty it is a privilege, and when we pray for one another it has a number of different benefits… Firstly our prayers sustain and support people – I know of lots of people who have felt stronger because they know people are praying for them – and one of the incredible things is that those people who are receiving prayer may not even be Christians themselves, certainly at the time… people appreciate prayer and concern, and when we can do little else for someone, we can always pray… Secondly our prayers establish an incredible bond between us and the person we are praying for… Praying for someone gives us an interest in their wellbeing, it gives us a genuine concern for the needs of people who we may otherwise know little about… Our prayers may well lead us to get more interested and involved in situations where we can make a difference… And thirdly prayer brings results – James quotes the example of Elijah who prayed fervently for no rain and we are told that for 3 years and 6 months it did not rain… And then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain… Millions will testify to the fact that prayer works… The letter of James is a powerful reminder of the need to combine faith with action – and we are reminded that prayer is an action, not an action that means we should do nothing more, but it is an action that is powerful and useful…. Martin Luther, who actually didn’t like the letter of James at all perhaps summed this up perfectly when he said, ‘Pray as if everything depends on God, then work as if everything depends on you.’ Prayer in all its forms is an essential element of the Christian life – but many people wonder how to do it… There’s a story about a man who took his young son with him to town one day… When lunch time arrived, the two of them went to a café for a sandwich. The father sat down on one of the stools at the counter and lifted the boy up to the seat beside him. They ordered lunch, and when the waiter brought the food, the father said, "Son, we'll just have a silent prayer." Dad got through praying first and waited for the boy to finish his prayer, but he just sat with his head bowed for an unusually long time. When he finally looked up, his father asked him, "What in the world were you praying about all that time?" With the innocence and honesty of a child, he replied, "How do I know? It was a silent prayer." Many people complicate prayer – many people want written words in books, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but that is not enough prayer – prayer is a part of daily living, and for it to be most effective it must become a part of our life as much as breathing is a part of our lives… One of the most effective forms of praying for other people was shown by a young servant girl at the beginning of the 1900’s – she was not allowed to get out very much from the house where she was living and working, but each day at the end of the day she would clear up the newspapers and take them back to her room – there she would look at the lists of births, marriages and deaths – she would pray for new born children and their families, she would pray for those who had recently married, and she would remember those who had died and pray for those mourning the loss of loved ones… Today communication is so much better, and the lists of people that need prayer are often all too obvious… James said, ‘Pray for one another’ – remembering the power of prayer, thanking God for his willingness to hear our prayers, may we pray faithfully in every way – praying upwardly as we celebrate God’s love for us, praying inwardly for ourselves as we seek to be more like the people God wants us to be and may we pray outwardly, remembering our responsibilities not just to those closest to us and those within our own Church fellowships, but to everyone… The writer Tom Houston said that ‘Prayer is walking with God all day and every day’ – May that be our experience and our joy. AMEN