Effective Prayer

13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.(A) 14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.(B) 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.(C) 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.(D) 17 Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land.(E) 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.(F)

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The Effective Prayer of Faith

13 Is anyone among you suffering misfortune? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the elders of the church and they should pray over him, anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins he will be forgiven[a]. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much. 17 Elijah was a human being[b] with the same nature as us, and he prayed fervently[c] for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.

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Footnotes

  1. James 5:15 Literally “it will be forgiven him”
  2. James 5:17 Literally “man,” but in a generic sense; the emphasis is not on Elijah’s masculine gender but his shared humanity
  3. James 5:17 Literally “he prayed with prayer”