I. Introduction

A. This morning we’re starting a new series called “Trauma Care for the Soul.” I got the idea for it while watching some of those medical shows they have on TLC and Discovery Health channel. Those shows reminded me of an important truth that I experience all the time but don’t think about much – the truth that life hurts, and that we all need restoration. So we’re starting out by talking about something that is one of the most difficult things that God calls us to do. It is also one of the most necessary things that God calls us to do. It’s prayer. Prayer has power to heal. Prayer has power to save. Prayer has power to change hearts.

B. Illustration - Watchman Nee wrote, (NEW SLIDE) Our prayers lay the track down on which God's power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails (as cited on PreachingToday.com). What’s interesting is that that truth is what cost Hitler the war in Russia. He planned on connecting his railroad network with Russia’s and cruising on through. But the Russians use a different gauge, or track width, than the Germans, so Hitler couldn’t resupply his armies like he needed to. So the Germans were defeated in Russia in World War II. And that’s the gist of what James wrote in his epistle – without power we’re sunk, but with the power of prayer, we’re healed. So let’s look at James 5:13-16, and I’m reading from the NIV.

C. James 5:13-16 (from the NIV) – (NEW SLIDE) Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. (NEW SLIDE) 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he 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 man is powerful and effective.

II. The Problem of Prayer

A. I don’t think there is anybody here this morning who believes that prayer is a bad thing. As a matter of fact, even folks who don’t have faith in Christ as their Savior believe that prayer is a good thing. The problem is that we don’t really understand how it works. We get confused about where our responsibility stops and where God’s responsibility starts. Factor in the fact the prayer is hard work, and we find ourselves unmotivated to pray even though we know that prayer works. Let me share with you one of the most profound truths I’ve ever read about prayer.

B. Illustration - Richard Foster, in his outstanding bookk <Celebration of Discipline writes (NEW SLIDE) “To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to Christ…. …James says: ‘You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions’ (James 4:3). To ask ‘rightly’ involves transformed passions, total renewal. (NEW SLIDE) In prayer, real prayer, we begin to think God’s thoughts after Him: to desire the things He desires, to love the things He loves. Progressively we are taught to see things from His point of view.” (as cited on SermonCentral.com)

C. That’s the kind of prayer that James was writing about in chapter 5. Prayer that is so in tune with the heart of God that it actually heals. And I’m not just talking about physical healing, although there is no question that God does miraculously heal the human body. I’m talking about the deep kind of mental, emotional, social, and spiritual healing we so desperately need. Prayer has power to heal every part of who we are. Maybe that’s why we’re so afraid to pray, because we’re afraid to change. Those deep-seated wounds may be painful, but at least they’re familiar. (NEW SLIDE) True life is found in the power of the Holy Spirit working His healing within us through prayer.

D. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, 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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. In the context God is talking about bringing fruitfulness to a land that has been devastated and left dry and lifeless by sin. But ask yourself this question – (NEW SLIDE) won’t the God who promises to bring life back to desolate land in response to humble, repentant prayer also bring life back to desolate minds, emotions, relationships, spirits and bodies in response to humble, repentant prayer? The answer is a resounding “of course He will.” God is in the business of taking everything that sin devastates and remaking it into what He originally created it to be. We talked last week about becoming the people that God created us to be. Prayer does that.

E.Illustration – Willie McGill wrote, The value of persistent prayer is not that He will hear us but that we will finally hear Him (as cited on SermonCentral.com). We find healing in hearing His voice. We find hope in hearing His voice. We find life change in hearing His voice. When we pray persistently and consistently, we hear His voice. And then He can heal us. James writes, And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. As I said, there are many different kinds of healing and wellness. And sometimes God chooses to give the ultimate healing – allowing a believer to pass on into eternity so that all his hurts will be healed for good. Sometimes God chooses emotional or mental or social or spiritual healing instead of physical. Sometimes He chooses physical, and then begins working on the rest. John Wimber wrote, My responsibility is to pray, God's responsibility is to heal. If he chooses not to do so, then he's responsible for that (as cited on PreachingToday.com). (NEW SLIDE) If God chooses to do a different kind of healing than I’ve envisioned, that’s His choice. My choice has to be to pray, because prayer has the power to heal.

F. Illustration – Oswald Chambers wrote, Every time we pray, our horizon is altered, our attitude to things is altered, not sometimes but every time, and the amazing thing is that we don't pray more (as cited on PreachingToday.com). Every time I experience any kind of shift in my thinking or my relating with God I am healed a little more. As Richard Foster said, to pray is to change. And to be honest, the times when I am least likely to pray are the times when I least want to be changed. In those times, I lose sight of the fact that prayer is all about building a close personal relationship with the God of the universe, and that relationship heals. As John Bunyan, author of the classic Pilgrim’s Progress, wrote, Real prayer is a serious concern, for we are speaking to the sovereign Lord of all the universe, who is willing to move heaven and earth in answer to sincere and reasonable prayer. (NEW SLIDE) Prayer is not a mechanical duty, but a wonderful opportunity to develop a loving and caring relationship with the most important Person in our lives (as cited on PreachingToday.com).

III. How Do I Pray?

A. As I said a few minutes ago, one of the reasons we don’t pray is because we don’t want to change. Another is because we have our doubts about whether or not God actually hears our prayers, because often it doesn’t feel like it. But Deuteronomy 4:7 says What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? Yes, it was talking about Israel, but as children of God through Jesus Christ that verse applies to us as well. (NEW SLIDE) God is near us and He hears our prayers. Maybe a third reason we don’t pray is that we don’t know how to, and we’re too embarrassed to ask.

B. In Matthew 6:9-15, Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray: ”‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” I’ve preached on that passage before, and there are many ways of breaking it down and applying it, but today I want to help you learn a way that is in line with our passage from James. It’s uses the “ACTS” acronym, and this is how it works.

C. (NEW SLIDE) The A stands for Adoration. Adoration means praise. Psalm 9:1-2 says, I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. You simply acknowledge to God Who He is. You praise Him for Who He is and what He is doing. Now notice, you praise but not thank. Thanking Him focuses on what He is doing or going to do for you, while praising Him focuses on Who He is and what He has done. Adore Him for Who He is.

D. (NEW SLIDE) The C stands for Confession. Confession means admitting to Him your sins. 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. And confession can also mean admitting your unworthiness to be in relationship with the Almighty God. He will accept whatever confession comes from a humble heart. Confess your sin to God.

E.(NEW SLIDE)The T stands for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving can be for what He is doing or what He has done or what He is going to do. Thanksgiving can also be for Who He is. Psalm 100 says, Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Thanksgiving can be the hardest one of the four for us to do. We tend to focus so much on our circumstances that when things aren’t going the way we want them to we aren’t very thankful. I know – I’ve done that too many times in my life. Being thankful is a choice. Thank God for what He has done, what He is doing, and what He is going to do. Thank God for Who He is.

F. (NEW SLIDE) The S stands for Supplication. Supplication means asking for needs to be filled. Sometimes it’s easy to know what is needed. We write down a list and ask for those needs to be filled. But what about those times when there is a need and we just don’t know what to say? Romans 8:26-27 - In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (NEW SLIDE) Ask for what is needed, and God will supply it in His time in His way and according to His will. Praise God for that!

G. Which brings us back to the whole issue of healing. How does healing fit into all this? When we go through the process of adoring, confessing, thanking and supplicating, God will begin the process of healing within us so that we are prepared for those times when He wants to do a special work of healing in us and for us. It’s kind of like priming the pump. (NEW SLIDE) Regular daily prayer prepares us for the greater works that God wants to do in our lives. And God does want to do greater works in all of our hearts and lives, as well as in the life and ministry of our church.

H. Illustration - Pastor Jim Cymbala wrote, When we doon''t pray, it's primarily because we don't sense our need for God (as cited on PreachingToday.com). Folks, I don’t believe there has been any time in the life of our church or our country when we’ve needed God more. We all need to pray, because we all need God to work powerfully in our lives. We all need to pray, because we all need God’s healing in our lives and in our church. We all need to pray, because God will work powerfully when we pray. (NEW SLIDE) Remember, God’s responsibility is to do the healing, our responsibility is to pray. Prayer changes things. Prayer changes us.

I. Illustration – Doug Scott writes about the movie Shadowlands, which portrays the joy and pain of the relationship between C. S. Lewis and American writer Joy Gresham. A growing friendship led to a marriage of convenience. The Oxford professor wed the single mother in a secret, civil ceremony so that Joy could gain English citizenship. Eventually it was discovered that Joy had terminal cancer, and Lewis realized his love for her. Joy's cancer went into temporary remission, and for a season she and Lewis experienced the depth of committed Christian love. During this time, an Anglican priest talked with Lewis about prayer. In their conversation, we hear a mature description of how prayer works. The Priest said, "I know how hard you've been praying. And now God is answering your prayer." Lewis responded, "That's not why I pray, Harry. I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray…I pray because the need flows out of me all the time…waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God, it changes me" (as cited on PreachingToday.com).

IV. Conclusion

A. I actually hadn’t planned on ending the service the way we’re going to when I first felt the Lord moving on my heart to preach this series. But this is what we’re going to do. James wrote, Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him 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 him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. So I’m going to ask John and Randy and Warren and Ken to come forward right now. They are in top positions of leadership in our church. Now, if anyone needs any kind of healing, be it physical or emotional or mental or social or spiritual, or any other kind of prayer, please come forward now, kneel at the altars if you’re able to, and we will anoint you with oil and pray for you. That’s what the Bible says to do, so that’s what we’re going to do.

B. Remember to constantly prime the pump for God’s greater works by spending regular daily time in prayer. Let’s pray together.