James closes his letter with a viewpoint that’s out of this world with two emphases:
- Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand (James 5:1-11).
- The necessity of prayer, both individual and corporate (James 5:12-20).
Don’t let the “Warning to the Rich” title at the beginning of chapter 5 distract you. James is not speaking out against wealth as much as he’s calling for perspective. He uses the temporal nature of earthly riches to prove his point about the reality of everlasting Glory yet to come. When Heaven is the goal, things of this world will grow strangely dim. He repeats himself in verses 7 and 8, saying almost verbatim, “be patient… until the coming of the Lord.” The examples of the farmer, the prophets and Job, serve as reminders that God will indeed intervene –it’s guaranteed– and we must live life with ever-abiding hope in our hearts of His imminent coming. This is what is meant by the words “patient” and “establish.” Farmers are a perfect example of patience, and the prophets are great examples of those who are established in faith. Farmers plant with the knowledge they will one day reap a harvest, and the prophets’ unwavering belief in a faithful God to fulfill prophecy for later generations displays the established (well-grounded) faith of their hearts upon His great faithfulness. Jeremiah says it best when the nation is at its worst:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV)
And then there’s the example of Job…
James doesn’t need us to read Job’s story or answer the riddle of why “bad things” happen to “good people” to gain understanding. We’re meant to remember the benevolence of a good God, that even in Job’s misery and despondency, he is never abandoned. The apostle Paul says it like this:
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…”
2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (ESV)
God is compassionate and merciful (James 5:11), and even when all appears lost, never forget that God surely is good and His love truly endures forever!
The second point James makes here at the close is the necessity of prayer, both for the individual and for the church. In verses 13-18 prayer is mentioned in every verse and is displayed by a multitude of methods. It’s hypothesized from antiquity that James garnered the label “old camel knees” because of his own prayer habits. Eusebius from the 4th Century acknowledges this detail. James is insistent that prayer be the front door, the back door and in the side door of every believing heart. During a time period that had yet to see printed Bibles in a plethora of translations, prayer was the primary way to commune with God and to know His heart.
The details listed in these verses about healings and the efforts of the elders are striking reminders to the birth of the Church as described in Acts and the miraculous wonder surrounding this period in Christian history. For a brief glimpse into James’s world, reread Acts 5:12-16 (click!) or Acts 8:4-8 (click again!) to gain a perspective on the commonality of the miraculous at the launch of the New Covenant.
Incidentally, James is not about to deny the miraculous since it's happening all around him as the Gospel spreads from Judea and into Samaria through a storm of persecution. This is why I don't think using James's letter is the best resource for modern-day discussions about gifts of healing and theories of cessationism; instead, James is profoundly aware that Spirit-filled people are dependent upon the Spirit within, and prayer is the key to unlocking that heavenly connection.
The example of Elijah given at the end displays the availability and power of prayer for all who believe, saying, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…” He was not a superhero; rather, he prayed to a God with supernatural strength and believed God would hear and respond. We pray to the same God, and that is a powerful reality!
Don’t ever spurn prayer or ignore our privilege in communing with the Creator of the universe. We need more saints who are hobbled by “old camel knees,” for the prayers of a righteous person –still– has great power as it is working (James 5:16 ESV).
Glorify. Train. Engage. 