Prayer Is Enough

James 5:13-20
11-12-17 PVBC Morning Service

13
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is
anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone
among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to
pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of
the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the
sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have
sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your
sins to each other and pray for each other so that you
may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is
powerful and effective.
17 Elijah
was a human being, even as we are. He prayed
earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the
land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and
the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My
brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander
from the truth and someone should bring that person
back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the
error of their way will save them from death and cover
over a multitude of sins.

Introduction
Yesterday I sat in a meeting of the Executive Board for
the WVBC.

The question was asked, what do you think has been on

the minds of people in your churches this week.

The answer was nearly unanimousThe shooting at the

church in Texas.

Many Christians across this country have struggled with

how they should respond in the wake of such evil and
hatred.

Many have done the only thing they know how to do

which is turn to prayer.

But Ive seen responses to the contrary as well from

politicians, media and those Hollywood types that seem
to know so much more than we do.

Prayer is not enough

Prayer is insufficient
They were praying when it happened. They don't need
our prayers.

I even heard one news reporter say that prayer is just a

cop out.

But folks, I believe there are times in our lives when we

have nothing left except prayer.

I believe that prayer is always enough, it doesnt mean

that we stop there. In fact, prayer is often a starting
place for what God wants to do and where he wants to
lead us.

But this morning we will see that prayer is effective,

powerful, and it brings healing.

We see over and over again throughout scripture that

prayer is enough, it is effective when we lift up our needs
and cries to God.

The Effectiveness of Prayer

Our scripture reminds us in verse 16

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and
effective.
Sometimes we may wonder if God is even listening. Is he
paying attention to our prayers?

By I want to share with you this devotional that I came

across this week.
Gods Delight
by Pastor John Fredericksen

We delight in the embrace of a child, the gathering of

family, even in things and hobbies. But what delights the
heart of God? In Proverbs 15:8 we learn, The sacrifice of
the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer
of the upright is His delight.
When the lost seek to worship or give to the Lord apart
from saving faith in Christ, in effect, on their own terms,
it cannot please the Lord. Oh, but when Gods redeemed
children come to Him in the praise and dependence of
prayer, it is His delight. He created us for fellowship with
Him. He longs for your relationship with Him to be
vibrant and consistent. Each of us can delight the heart of
God by daily making time to be with Him in prayer and in
the study of Gods Word.
God does listen to prayer. Throughout scripture we see
that God hears the cries of his people. He hears our
hearts in those times that we cannot even put words to
the pain we feel.

Ive seen God answer too many prayers in my life to ever

believe that prayer is not enough.

Prayer is effective!

The Power Of Prayer

If you are willing to pray a crazy prayer, God has the

power to respond with a crazy answer -John Gray

Have you ever prayed a crazy prayer? Lord provide a

home for us in Ripley

If prayer is so powerful, why dont we use it more?

The devil knows He cannot stop God from answering

prayer, so He works hard to keep prayers from being
prayed in the first place.

Busyness, distraction in prayer, selfishness in prayer

But what about those times that God doesnt answer our
prayers. Is God ignoring us?

Let me offer an analogy

Do we give our kids everything they want? Take them

everywhere they want to go? Say yes to their every
request? Of course not, and neither will God. He
provides for our needs. He looks over us and sometimes
He decides that answering no to our prayers is whats
best for us.

Thats the problem with so many of us, we look at God

likes hes a genie in a bottle who grants our every wish,
but when something doesnt work out the way we want,
our faith falters.

God is faithful when we pray. Sometimes his faithfulness

is a yes to our prayers, sometimes his faithfulness comes
through a no, but he is ALWAYS faithful.

Isaiah 46:4

Even to your old age and gray hairs

I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Are you tapping into the power of prayer?

The Healing in Prayer

If you look around at our country over the past year or

two its not hard to see that this nation desperately
needs healing.

But this isnt a new thing. Our nation has witnessed

increasing division, especially for the last fifty years.

I find it disgraceful that we had a generation of veterans

who fought for this country who came back to a nation
that dishonored them and their service.

Our Veterans have fought so hard to preserve the

freedom of this country, we see internal divisiveness
eating away at our foundations and values like a cancer.
We see politics dividing this nation like nothing weve
seen since the civil war. We are in the midst of a culture
war between Christian/Biblical values versus immorality.
I believe that prayer is the only answer to healing this
great nation.

2 Chronicles 7:14

14 if
my people, who are called by my name, will
humble themselves and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their
land.

This is true in the midst violence in our country.

Its true in the shooting that took place this week as well.

The people of FBC Sutherland Springs are our people too,

we hurt with them, and we should pray with them as
well.

I believe it is the only way for us to begin to find healing

in a tragedies we face.

I came across this poem this week and think it speaks to

the feelings that so many of us have.
The darkness feels so heavy as storms pass one after
another,
Are you there? Do you care? We are like a ship without a
rudder,
Lost at sea without a clear direction, being tossed to and
fro,
Everyone is tired, plus confused, and the crew doesnt
want to row,
Our focus has gotten blurry and all we want are answers
to our issues,
The problems weve created for ourselves, we throw
them at You,
Still asking are you there? Do you care? How could this
ever be?
But you are standing beside us, in the midst of the
troubled sea,
Youve never left us, your hands softly grip around our
heart,
Whispering in each of our ears Ive been here from the
start,
While we were dust, You were the one that spoke life into
our breath,
You are the One that rises the sun and lights the stars,
You are the One that commands the seas and bounds the
dark,
Your canvas for art is everything my eyes can see,
Yet I question your power and your love you have for me,
Are you there? Do you care? You still answer my
faithlessness,
Always, forever, no one can take you, not even the evil
from the abyss,
Trust me child, no matter the chaos that occurs in your
view,
I cant wait to hold your hand in the Kingdom Ive
prepared for you.

God can bring healing through our prayers.

Its the only way we find healing. Im sure many of us

entertained thoughts of vengeance against the Texas
shooter, we desired justice in this situation, but the
shooter was already dead.

It is impossible to achieve vengeance and justice in this

situation, and perhaps that is better for us.

God reminds us, vengeance is mine, says the lord

We must leave this up to him, if we seek vengeance

when someone wrongs us, if we pursue our own form of
justice when someone transgresses against us, then we
will never find the healing that we so desperately desire
in the midst of our deep wounds.

We have to trust that God is a God of justice and leave

getting even in his hands, and instead we must pray
and seek healing even when it seems like there is nothing
else we can do.

Conclusion

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom

every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its
name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may
strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your
inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being
rooted and established in love, 18 may have power,
together with all the Lords holy people, to grasp how
wide and long and high and deep is the love of
Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses
knowledgethat you may be filled to the measure of all
the fullness of God.
20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than
all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at
work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and
ever! Amen.

Im sure many have asked, could a shooting ever happen

here. Sundays events have left many concerned and
even scared.

I cannot promise that we will always be safe. God

doesnt make that kind of promise in scripture.

What I can promise is that we are in His hands and I cant

think of any better place to be.

God hears our prayer, prayer matters and prayer is

enough.

Dont ever let anyone convince you otherwise.