Dad, the Family Priest (or, “Daddy, Help!”)
James 5:13-20
Introduction: I remember a scene about twenty-five years ago when
I was a pastor in New Jersey. Sarah was little, maybe three or four years old.
She went into a little washroom off of our kitchen and suddenly I heard: “Daddy? Daddy? Daddy! DADDY!” With each “Daddy” her
voice got louder and more urgent. First, I Iooked up casually, then by the time
her voice got to a scream I was running in the door. She had been cornered by a
large, fearsome… ANT! I guess when you are four years old a black ant can look big
and scary? Well, Dad, the hero, swooped in and smashed the attacking vermin.
Sarah’s reply, “Daddy, where were you? Didn’t you hear me? What took you so long?” When we cry out to our Father in heaven,
Abba, He always hears, and He answers in the way that is best.
We affirm
the “priesthood of believers,” that is, every believer has the privilege
of prayer, because of Jesus was have full and immediate access to the throne room
of heaven. We are invited to keep
asking, seeking, knocking. We are also called to intercede on behalf of one
another. In our study in Mark’s Gospel, we’ve seen parents, like Jairus and the
Syrophoenician woman, interceding with great effect on behalf of their
children. Parents have a unique responsibility and privilege to intercede on
behalf of their children, and also to teach their children, by word and
example, to pray. Today, for Father’s Day, I want to take a break from our
series in Mark to look at a passage in James on the subject of prayer.
Rather
than an exhaustive exposition of this text in James, I want to apply it to a
Father’s role as a spiritual leader in his family. My title for this
message is “Dad, the family Priest?”
I hope that title doesn’t confuse anyone. I believe with you that there is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus. We believe that every believer can come
to the Father directly in the name of Jesus. Yet we do see in this passage the
privilege and responsibility of praying for one another. Doesn’t that
start in our own oikos, with our own
household, and specifically with our wife and children? God already knows their needs before we ever speak. He
knows the urgency of the moment. He understands our fears. And here is the most
encouraging part: he knows the needs of our children more intimately, and He
loves them more perfectly, than we do. Dads do their best, but Abba is always
at the door, ready to help in the way that is best, every time. So…
The Maine* Idea: Fathers have the privilege
and the responsibility to intercede on behalf of their children, and to teach
them, by word and example, to pray to our heavenly Father!
I. Prayer in
every circumstance (13). Prayer is
the normal response of the believer in every situation of life… including Dads interceding
for their kids! James says,
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is
anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.”
Prayer, for a mature Christian, is like breathing. It is our response of
faith to the pressures and trials of life, as is praise and thanksgiving our
response to God’s presence and grace in our lives. Kids get the idea fast when
they see it at home. Many of our WOL Olympian kids are quick to pray! Nothing is
sweeter to hear than a child’s prayers. Remember Jesus said that we need to
have faith like a child (Mk 10:15)? Simple trust that God is real, that He’s
listening, and that He’s able.
James begins, “Is anyone among you
suffering? Let him pray.” The word “suffering” speaks of enduring evil
treatment by people (cf. 5:10). The apostle Paul used that verb a few times in
what was probably the last letter he wrote, toward the end of his second Roman
imprisonment, the letter we know as Second Timothy. He used this word to
describe both his own suffering for the Gospel (2 Tim 2:3,9) and to speak of
the need for Timothy to endure suffering (2 Tim 4:5). Writing from prison,
waiting for his date with the executioner, Paul had learned much about
suffering. He said in 2 Timothy 2:3, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of
Christ Jesus.” The
reality is that we live in a world infected by sin, and the consequences of the
Fall are all around us. I’m not a mathematician, but this is pretty easy to add up: A world full
of sinners + a world cursed because of sin = the certainly that believers will
experience tribulation! Dads, as much as we want to protect our kids, they will
experience tribulation. We can’t protect them from it, but we can do our
best to prepare them for it and pray them through it. The good news for the
believer in Jesus is that He has overcome the world (Jn 16:33). So as surely as
we breathe to get the life giving oxygen into our bodies, we pray in the midst
of our trials, because we know that life is in Him. When we suffer, we pray. When
our kids are hurting, we cry out on their behalf: “Daddy, help!”
“Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing
psalms.” The word translated “cheerful” here doesn’t imply a time of fun
and games. We can have joy in every
situation because we have a foundation that is sure and a future that is secure.
We have already been transferred out of
the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the Son. The word translated “cheerful” here is not used many times in
the New Testament. In one scene in the Book of Acts, it implies “Cheerful
courage in the face of danger or difficult circumstances” (see Acts 27:22, 25).
We find Paul using this word toward the end of Acts where he is on a ship, a
prisoner, on his way to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. The ship was caught
in a horrendous storm, and even the experienced crew was beginning to despair.
Paul brought hope…
“…I urge you
to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of
the ship. 23 For this very
night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I
worship, 24and he said, 'Do not be afraid,
Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those
who sail with you.' 25 So take
heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been
told. 26 But we must run
aground on some island…" (Acts 27:22-26).
Paul used this word to encourage
others on a ship with him in the midst of a storm, though headed for a shipwreck,
to “take heart,” i.e. “cheer up,” despite
the terror of the moment. Think of what Paul was saying: the storm was raging,
the ship would soon be breaking up against the rocks, “Take heart,” “Cheer
up!” The swim may be hard, the water may be cold, but you are going to make
it. And all 276 onboard did make it to the shore alive. God is bigger than any storm your children
will face. You can trust Him. You can entrust them to Him. Fathers have the privilege and the
responsibility to intercede on behalf of their children, and to teach them, by
word and example, to pray to our heavenly Father!
II. Prayer for spiritual and physical healing for our children (14-16a).
“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. 16Confess your
trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed…”
Is James talking about physical illness or a spiritual
need? The word “sick” or “weak” can be used either way. Physical or Spiritual? I think the answer is
“yes!” First of all, all suffering and pain came into this world as a
result of the sin of Adam: “By one man
sin entered into the world, and death through sin…” James was also writing
to the believing Jews who were scattered abroad after the martyrdom of Stephen,
so they knew about trials. That’s a theme throughout this letter: “Take heart,
God hasn’t forgotten you and he is working in the midst of your pain,
sustaining you and strengthening you.”
Secondly, believers get sick too, and it is
as natural as breathing that we should cry out to our omnipotent Father for help
and healing. How much harder it is to see a child sick. We pray fervently in
those situations. We know that our sickness could be chastening, something
which God is allowing in our life to get out attention, to teach us, to draw us
back to Him (I Corinthians 11:30). In other cases, it can simply be the result
of living in a fallen world. Somehow God is working even in that situation
for our good and for His glory (see John 9:1ff).
The fact that the sick person here calls for
the elders of the church to “pray over him” implies that he is unable to go to
them, apparently sick in bed, so it’s a serious situation. (We do practice and
encourage this in our church. When someone is sick and calls for the elders, we
will go to their home and pray for them, and anoint them with oil, which for us
is neither medicinal nor mystical, but it is symbolic, affirming our
recognition of God’s presence and our dependence on Him). Our Creator and
Redeemer is also the Great Physician.
“And
the prayer of faith will save the sick…” We shouldn’t interpret this to say
that prayer offered in faith guarantees healing in this life (15). I do
agree with those who say that healing is in the atonement, in this sense:
ultimately, because of Jesus, we who know Him will receive a
transformed, glorified body. That is certain, that is God’s promise to us. We will
indeed be “by His stripes …healed”
(Isa 53) since one day, because of Him, “…this
corruptible will put on incorruption, this mortal, immortality” (I Cor 15).
And I do believe, that when it serves God’s purposes, He does grant healing in
this life. Nothing is harder than seeing our kids hurting. So, it is good
and proper to pray for healing, not presumptuously, but recognizing his
sovereignty, and, as always, praying in submission to his lordship. Whether now
or then, He will answer. Sometimes gradually in response to medical
treatment, sometimes immediately, miraculously, when it serves His purpose, and
sometimes eschatologically, in the sure hope of the resurrection.
James leaves no doubt that when some sickness
is the result of sin, and then confession
will lead to spiritual healing (16a). This is one of those “one another”
passages in the New Testament, and it pictures an interdependent body of
believers, a family where we can be transparent, and truly “confess our sins,” repenting,
and asking for the prayer of a brother or sister that we would get victory over
that area of rebellion. One of the themes in our current Sunday School series
on “Awakening,” is that historically, “revivals” are always accompanied by deep
conviction of sin, and repentance. This statement in James goes beyond the
previous statement about calling on the elders for prayer and extends this
ministry to the whole church. Friends,
as a church, we need to be that kind of a family, with relationships like this,
where we are able to be transparent, to speak to one another honestly and confidentially,
knowing that our personal struggle is not going to be posted on Facebook or
circulated through the community, but that it is going to be personally
lifted before the God of the universe on our behalf. Kids need to know they can go to their
parents, share their struggles. I don’t think James means we should tell
our sins to everyone! But if the sin affects someone, or if it is known to
them, or (and this is important) if they are of sufficient spiritual
maturity to be trusted with what we are struggling with, it is a truism
that “confession is good for the soul.” I believe this is part of “bearing one
another’s burdens.” There is blessing in praying together. Fathers have the
privilege and the responsibility to intercede on behalf of their children, and to
teach them, by word and example, to pray to our heavenly Father!
III. Prayer for the will of God in the lives of our children is effective
(16b-18).
“...The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man
avails much. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he
prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for
three years and six months. 18
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”
A “righteous man” is someone who is right
with God. As our mind is transformed by the Word, our thinking will be more
aligned with the will of God. James turns to an illustration from Scripture to
show the power of prayer. Even a great
prophet like Elijah was a mere man, no different than us, and he prayed to God
and was used to tremendous effect. He was surely a man of great faith, and God
used Him to speak to the nation and its king.
A couple of take-aways: 1) we
should pray in faith, knowing that the believing prayer offered in accordance
with the will of God will be heard and is effective. God works through the
prayers of His people. That’s the main point. 2) We also teach our kids about
prayer by example, as we lift up needs beyond our immediate circle, and pray for
our nation, for the church, for those in authority, for persecuted Christians
in other parts of the world, and for the unreached who need to hear. It’s a
mystery, but God works through prayer. Think about this: our influence in
the lives of our children diminishes as they find the path God has for them in
the world. But as long as we’re here, we can enter the throne room of heaven,
and pray for God to make their paths straight, for His glory. Fathers have the
privilege and the responsibility to intercede on behalf of their children, and to
teach them, by word and example, to pray to their heavenly Father!
IV. Prayer for Prodigals (19-20).
“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns
him back, 20 let him know
that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from
death and cover a multitude of sins.”
Though prayer is not specifically mentioned in 19 and 20, it fits the
context to consider the need to pray for those who might be “wandering.” It is
certain that James would assume that “turning
back” a sinner from the error of his way is a matter that cannot be
attempted merely in our human weakness without asking God to work in the heart
of the stray sheep we are seeking. The language here is very much that of the
parables that speak of a lost sheep. The shepherd seeks to find it and
bring it back. That is God’s heart. Some of you have known the pain of
an estranged son or daughter, or perhaps even one who has “wandered from the truth.” James also speaks of “turning a sinner from the error of his
way.” The two ideas are related, as wrong thinking will
inevitably be related to wrong living.
First, there are those who are saved but have drifted away – we
need to pray for them and to look for opportunities to turn them back to Jesus. They are stray sheep, but they’re not goats! Believers who try to live without recognizing
God’s sovereignty in their life are inviting His discipline. See, for example,
I Cor 11:29-32 where Paul is discussing those who presumptuously partake of the
Lord’s table:
...For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment
to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many
sleep. 31 For if we would
judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that
we may not be condemned with the world.
This is not punishment, but loving
correction. Who the Lord loves, He chastens. Dads may sometimes get it wrong.
Jesus never does! Our part, is to pray.
Secondly, there may be some who have heard and have not yet
believed. That need is urgent, and we should seek to point them to the One who
is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), even as we pray that God, by
His kindness, would lead them to repentance and faith. So, first we pray! Then, we pray more.
What is God saying to me in this passage? Fathers have the privilege and the
responsibility to intercede on behalf of their children, and to teach them, by
word and example, to pray to their heavenly Father!
What would God have me to do in
response to this passage? Men, do you have children still at home? You set an example for them
by your faith, and by your prayer life. I am blessed to see the priority
the young fathers in our church family put on investing in their kids, and shepherding
them toward faith in Christ. Keep praying for God to be glorified in their
lives, as He leads them in right paths for His name’s sake. Do you have a child
who has not yet believed? Do you have a child who is wandering? Those prayers never stop. Be right with God,
and keep praying fervently. The effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much! AMEN.
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