God always answers our prayers, but not necessarily in the way we want him to. He has our best interests in mind. So, sometimes he says “Yes,” sometimes “No,” sometimes “Wait,” and sometimes—frankly—“Grow up!” Over the next four days, we will look at each of these answers. Today, let’s look at “Yes!”

James 5:13–18 says this about prayer:

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 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. 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. 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.

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Notice James’s “success” language: The sick will be healed, the sinful soul will be forgiven, and the rain will fall because of prayer. James seems to suggest that if we pray in a certain way, God will answer our requests. What are his specific recommendations?

First, we ought to pray at all times—whether we are troubled, happy, sick, or sinful. Too often, we come to God for selfish reasons. We want something. When we get it, we ignore him until the next crisis arises. We want a solution to a problem. God wants a relationship with a beloved son or daughter. Only through such a relationship does God promise to meet all our needs. As Jesus put it, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33).

Second, we ought to make use of the means God has already given us. James mentions the practice of elders anointing the sick with oil and of confession of sin to believers. Both practices contribute to our physical and spiritual health. Only a fool would toss aside a life vest thrown to him to save him from drowning. Do we ask our pastors to pray for us when we’re sick or ask fellow believers to help us resist temptation? If not, what does that make us?

Finally, we ought to pray as part of an overall strategy of spiritual growth. Notice James’s words: “the prayed offered in faith will make the sick person well,” and “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” A good life is not an automatic guarantee of answered prayer, but the psalmist did say, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread” (Ps. 37:25).