Dad, the Family Priest? (or, "Daddy, HELP!) - James 5:13-20

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.