James 5:15, 16 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your sins to one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
God promises that prayer will save the sick. In the context of calling for the elders to anoint and pray for the sick man the promise of saving and healing is given. The prayer for healing is connected to confession and absolution, as when Jesus forgave the lame man when he healed him. Being stuck in a sin may obstruct the healing.
The promise is that believing prayer will save the sick. The word ”save” means make whole in body and soul. Jesus does this; prayer is the faith that receives it. Prayer applies Salvation to one another.
”A righteous man” is one who believes in Jesus. His prayers are effective and fervent because they are prayed by faith in Jesus’ name. The fervency comes from the indwelling Spirit, who grants the faith, not from the flesh or the emotions.
In the wider context, prayer avails much. ”More good is wrought through prayer than this world can know about.” The answers to believing prayer may not always come when and how we want, but we can be sure of this: Prayer Avails Much! Until we ”get there” we cannot know much prayer actually availed. God gave us this promise to encourage us to pray.