“Is any sick among you? 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: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” (James 5:14-15 KJV)
What is this prayer of faith that James is talking about? Is it just for a few or can anyone pray it? Is it a string of “magic words” that ensures a miracle? What is an example of a prayer of faith?
I believe that the prayer of faith is very simple. We don’t have to be especially gifted to pray it. Anyone can. At any time. No, it’s not “magic” because it’s not so much the words we say, but the heart from which the prayer comes. There’s just one prerequisite: FAITH—being persuaded that Jesus is God and that He is ALL that He says He is.
What is the “prayer of faith?” It’s a petition to God wrapped in the declaration of total CONFIDENCE in Him and complete COMMITMENT to HIS Will. That confidence is not IN the prayer itself, but in GOD ALONE. It isn’t necessarily just a prayer for healing, as referenced in James, but it can be applied to any need and invoked in any crisis. Or non-crisis. It doesn’t have to be long—it can be very short. It is NOT a demand, nor is it a prayer based on emotion, imagination, frustration, desperation, or even hope. In other words, the prayer of faith is not the fruit of our feelings.
Rather, it is a prayer that arises out of the grateful MEMORY of GOD’s goodness and faithfulness to His Word—recalling the evidence of His proven power and His promises. Nothing fancy—God’s goodness needs no embellishment. With that solid TRUTH as a basis, the prayer of faith is built of CONFIDENCE and COMMITMENT to GOD—and hope is born from it.
The New Testament word “faith” is most often translated from the Greek “pistis” meaning “persuasion that is credence” or “PERSUASION of TRUTH.” Therefore, the prayer of faith is a petition from a PERSUADED HEART. It is a statement that says that you know without a doubt that GOD is faithful and able—that YOU know that God KNOWS your need, He KNOWS what is needed, and “He already KNOWS what He will do.” (John 6:6)
The prayer of faith may or may not even contain a request, but it will always contain a declaration of:
- ASSURANCE of God’s eternal power,
- PRAISE for His faithfulness, and
- TRUST that stands in agreement with His Ways, His Word, and His Will.
The Bible is full of them. The psalms of David have many examples of prayers of faith—a beautiful one is Psalm 25:
“Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old … according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord. … O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.” (v.6,7,20)
Praying the Word of God, as a part of a prayer of faith, is a particularly good way to recall, remember, and recite His faithfulness. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6 KJV)
Other notable faith prayers were prayed by Elijah (1 Kings 18:36-37), Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:6-12), and, of course, Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:36).
This is important: as long as we can remember the goodness of the LORD, we are then equipped to pray a prayer of faith. However, a prayer of true faith may request God’s intervention, but it never demands a particular outcome. It cannot say, “LORD, not Thy will, but MINE be done.” It declares CONFIDENCE in GOD alone because of His proven power in the past—and—COMMITMENT to HIS Will now and in the future, whether we agree with it or not. It is: PRAISE + TRUST. Period.
Here are three examples of what a prayer of faith may look like:
- LORD Jesus, I know that You are powerful enough to do anything, because I have seen You do mighty miracles before. Based on THAT faith, I know that You are well able to answer THIS present need. But, I pray not MY will, but Thine be done. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
- LORD Jesus, I know that You are aware of THIS need. You ARE able. You ARE sovereign. I believe You desire to deliver, and You WILL. But, IF NOT—for whatever reason—I will still trust You, still believe in Your power, and still praise You until my last breath. YOU ALONE are in control. YOU know what is BEST. YOU answer every prayer with immediate, incremental, or eventual relief. I trust Your timing. However You choose to answer, I will respond with worship FOREVER! In JESUS’ name, AMEN!
- LORD Jesus, I know that nothing is too hard for You, but I also believe that every pain has a purpose in Your BIGGER Plan. You didn’t come to bring us relief; You came to bring us LIFE. If my pain causes YOUR Name to be lifted higher; if it causes more people to turn and trust in YOU, or if Your Word and Your Holy Spirit are exalted on the earth through my suffering—even death—so be it! Above ALL, JESUS … more than relief or rescue, I pray that Your NAME BE GLORIFIED!! Here, in THIS situation, NOW, and forever and ever, I say: AMEN! and AMEN!!
