The Power of Prayer in the Presence of Trouble
“Is anyone among you in trouble?
Let them pray.” -James 5:13
James asks a question here that could be answered universally, “Yes.” Maybe not at this moment, but yesterday, or tomorrow, or next week, we will be in trouble.
Trouble is the common experience of human life. It is part of living in a fallen world where God’s redemption is already working, but not yet complete. It is the consequence of our own sinful and foolish decisions, and, many times, its the consequence of the sinful and foolish decisions of others. Which, by the way, takes us back to the whole fallen world thing.
However, God has not abandoned us or left us helplessly adrift in this world. He has given us the lifeline of prayer. In the presence of trouble, prayer has the power to change things. Our God is a powerful God who hears and responds to our prayers. In this sermon we look at the promise of this passage as well as some of the difficult issues it presents.