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All Sermons
Bible Passage James 5

James 5:13-18 Prayer and Praise

  • Tony Raker
Date preached October 11, 2026

Prayer and praise are very special privileges for the Christian. There is not a time in our life when we shouldn’t be doing one or the other. In fact, we must be careful not to underestimate the importance of praise and the power of prayer.

James 5:13: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”

➤ Grammatical Usage: “Let him pray” or in the Greek, “proseuchesthō” meaning, “supplicate; interact; worship”; “let him sing praises” or “psalletō” meaning, “express adoration.”

➤ Literal Interpretation: Are you hurting? Interact with God. Do you feel great? Express adoration.

➤ Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word. James calls us to pray and sing praises, with guidance as to what to do and when:

  1. IN TIMES OF SUFFERING, LET US “PRAY” (v. 13)
    1. WHAT KIND OF SUFFERING DOES JAMES REFER TO?
      1. The word used refers to suffering of any kind
    2. FOR WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY?
      1. For the REMOVAL of the suffering, if it be the Lord’s will (2 Cor. 12:8)
      2. For the STRENGTH to endure the suffering, if it be the Lord’s will that we bear with it (1 Cor. 10:13)
        1. God may not always remove the source of our suffering, for it may be for our ultimate good (Ps 119:67, 71, 75) but helps us endure.
    3. FOR WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?
      1. Certainly for ourselves, as implied above
      2. But for those who are the source of our suffering per Jesus in Luke 6:28
  2. IN TIMES OF CHEER, LET US “SING PRAISES” (v. 13)
    1. THE WORD “CHEERFUL”…
      1. Denotes a state of mind free from trouble–the opposite of affliction
    2. IN SUCH A STATE OF HAPPINESS, ONE SHOULD SING PRAISES!
      1. For singing praises is becoming of God’s people
        1. Consider the attitude of David, the sweet singer of Israel – Ps 92:1-2; 96:1-2; 101:1; 111:1; 113:1-3; 146:1-2; 147:1; 149:1
      2. For singing praises has the power to make a good situation even better – cf. Ephesians 5:18; Colossians 3:16
    3. WHY DON’T SOME CHRISTIANS SING PRAISES MORE OFTEN, MORE FERVENTLY?
      1. What excuse can we possibly give for refusing to praise God for His glory and goodness?
      2. Heaven is described by John in the Book of Revelation as a place where singing praises to God and Christ is an on-going activity
  3. IN TIMES OF SICKNESS, LET US “PRAY” (vv. 14-18)
    1. ADMITTEDLY, THIS PASSAGE IS DIFFICULT…
      1. Questions abound concerning it
        1. Is the sickness physical or spiritual?
        2. Is the anointing with oil medicinal or symbolic?
        3. Is the healing through providential means or miraculous?
        4. Is the healing spiritual or physical?
      2. First, I believe the sickness and healing in this passage is physical, though spiritual needs are taken into consideration
      3. With the assumption that physical illness is being discussed, then there are two feasible alternatives…
        1. This passage refers to MIRACULOUS HEALING
        2. This passage refers to PROVIDENTIAL HEALING
      4. I lean toward the latter explanation…
        1. The first explanation must assume that the elders in every church possessed the gift of healing, which is not likely for two reasons:
          1. We have no record of such in the New Testament
          2. The qualifications for elders did not require this gift – cf. 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9
        2. In illustrating the efficacy of prayer, James uses an example of God PROVIDENTIALLY answering prayer – cf. 1 Kings 18:41-45
          1. God was indeed answering Elijah’s prayer
          2. But God did so, providentially, working through natural means
    2. WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING, LET’S MAKE THE APPLICATION…
      1. In times of physical sickness, call for the elders of the church
        1. You want the prayers of the “righteous” working in your behalf
        2. Notice: You are to call for them, not wait for them to call on you!
        3. Have the elders pray with you…
          1. In faith (trusting in the Lord’s power to heal, if it be His will)
          2. Fervently (“the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”)
      2. Elders should not only pray, but see that appropriate medical aids provided
        1. In a century where hospitals were non-existent, and physicians were rare, anointing with oil was a common treatment – cf. Luke 10:34
        2. In our present century, this would involve the elders making sure that the sick receive the treatment needed
      3. The sick should also confess their sins, if they have any…
        1. Verse 15 makes it clear that sickness is not always the consequence of sin
        2. But v. 16 and others (like 1 Corinthians 11:29-32) suggests that illnesses may be God’s loving chastisement for sin, in an effort to direct us back to Him
        3. In any case, sins need to be confessed and forgiveness sought if we hope to have God hear our prayers

➤ Conclusion: Given whatever circumstance I find myself right now, will I pray and praise?