Prayer and Restoration: James 5:13-20
Welcome to Timeless Truth with Pastor Jim Thomas. In this episode, we continue our study with James 5:13-20.
“Faith is to the soul what life is to the body. Prayer is to faith what breath is to life. How a man can live and not breathe is past my comprehension, and how a man can believe and not pray is past my comprehension too.”
J.C. Ryle, A Call to Prayer
“Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or for bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating our will to his. It is by prayer that we seek God’s will, embrace it, and align ourselves with it. Every true prayer is a variation on the theme: ‘Your will be done.’”
John Stott, The Letters of John
“Prayer is the way that truth is worked into your heart to create new instincts, reflexes, and dispositions.”
Tim Keller, Prayer
James is inviting us to the same – a life of regular, relational prayer, through which two things happen:
- We train the ears of our hearts to recognize the voice of the Lord.
- We grow in our understanding of God’s will, God’s purposes, and God’s ways.
“There is no situation in life where prayer to God is not relevant or right. Our whole lives are to be lived in relation to God. There’s never a time when it’s not good to pray.”
Sam Allberry, James for You
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6–7
“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:1–2
Some questions for reflection and application:
- Are we people who pray in every season of life?
- Are we a community where offering a confession of sin is safe because the offer of grace is strong?
- Who do you know who has wandered? We have a thing in our church staff meetings where we occasionally ask the question: “What ever happened to ______?”
- How can we lovingly pursue them and encourage them to return to the Lord?
- Are we courageous enough to go after the lost—not in judgment, but with gentleness and hope?
