Over the journey shared thus far in this resource, we’ve aimed to paint a picture from scripture about what prayer is and what it actually accomplishes. It’s important to also take a look at the opposite of these two questions: What prayer isn’t and what prayer doesn’t do. So often, the world, as well as Christians, can adopt a strange view of prayer that doesn’t really line up with scripture. We can reduce prayer to a list of demands or a to-do list for God. We can be led to think that prayer is a magical formula or spell, that if we say the right words in the right order, we can expect those prayers to be answered, and if they are not, it’s because somehow we got the formula incorrect. Others may think that prayer is a briefing to God where we simply relay to everything that happened or everything we are thinking about just so he knows. Keep in mind that prayers to an omniscient or all-knowing God are not briefing or informing him of anything he doesn’t already know. Another false view of prayer is that it’s akin to collecting signatures for a public petition. If we only have five people praying that Aunt Sally is healed of cancer, she probably won’t be healed, but if we can get a hundred people praying, she is more likely to be healed, and if we can get a thousand people praying, then she definitely will be healed. While there is nothing wrong with getting a group of people to pray for something, don’t make the mistake of thinking that greater numbers of prayer warriors will somehow turn an unanswered prayer into an answered one. A better question to ask is if this group of people praying is aligned in their hearts, minds, and motivations with what God wants and if answering this prayer in the way it is being prayed will bring glory to God in the bigger picture of his kingdom.

Each aspect of today’s passage in James 5, speaks to how prayer for healing is not a magic formula that can be applied or repeated for immediate success, but rather each part reveals something wise that we can learn from. Let’s look closer at each key phrase: If anyone is suffering, let them pray. This is wise in that our first response to sickness and suffering should not be to look for solutions in man, but to first look to God. Let them gather the elders of the church to pray for them. The elders of the church are those most likely to be spiritually mature and to be in alignment with the heart of God. This is an important aspect of prayer that James is reminding the reader of. Let them anoint this person with oil in the name of the Lord. The oil signifies that it is not the power of these people who will do the healing, but the power of the Holy Spirit who is flowing through them. A key aspect of prayer in connection with healing is that we don’t take or claim the credit. And pray over them in faith. This is a description of the type of prayer that is prayed by the spiritually mature. A prayer of faith, not a prayer of doubt, or superstition, or pride, or manifestation, but a prayer that points accurately to Jesus.

There are many incorrect ways to pray and things to pray for. The good news is that the Bible doesn’t leave us in the dark in this area, but gives us many models and examples to draw from. Think about this in your own life. Perhaps you have fallen into the habit of praying in a way that is selfish or formulaic. The good news is that you can change today. Even right now!