James 5:14-16
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.
If taken literally, these verses do not seem true to me. We know that some people die even when many righteous people pray for them. But has the Lord ”raised him up”? Has he been made “well?” When we talk about healing, maybe God has a much broader definition in this context. I have heard more than one person describe the experience of being the object of others’ fervent prayer. Maybe this is God ”raising (them) up”. Maybe this is healing in the soul.
Holy Father, help me to better understand these words of scripture. Today I am reminded of the power of prayer, and my need to be more intentional and faithful in my prayer life. Amen
Becky, transforming
James 5:14-16
I believe that James 5: 16 means that my prayers must be truly sincere , coming out of my heart and not just my head. Sometimes I experience a great deal of emotion in my prayers, but more often than not I don’t feel any emotion. I can sometimes feel God’s presence in my prayers and than wondering what was wrong during the times when I didn’t feel anything. I am learning to pray with my heart and not just words. I will leave them in God’s hands and pray by faith, not being so concerned about what I do or do not feel. Prayer is because of my faith in him not because of my own ability…
James 5:14–16 14: Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Every Sunday and every Bible study, we ask for prayers for those in need. Not just the elders and ordained, we ask everyone for prayers. For me, this brings much comfort. James goes on to say in verse 16, “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” I will be honest and say I’m not sure my prayers will cure anyone of cancer, but I do believe that our God will listen to that prayer and do his will. It is our ow…
James 5: 14-16
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
A person’s body, soul and spirit are interrelated. Physical pain, sickness and injury can affect our body as well as our spirit. We as Christians have the privilege of being able to pray for the healing that a person needs. Pray is a powerful source of healing and reflects our dependence upon God and the faith and trust we have in him.
Dearest Lord, forgive me for all the times I may have doubted You and attempted to do things on my own. Thank you for your mercie…
James 5:14-16
Dave reminded us on Tuesday that God’s ways are not our ways and this morning Becky applies this to the James passage on prayer for the sick. What are we to make of the fact that one is healed as we understand it and another not, even if prayers were offered for both? We must continue to pray, both to honor God and to demonstrate our love for the one who is ill or in pain. How God ultimately heals the object of our prayer cannot be controlled by humans. One thing to consider is that if prayer brings a terminally ill, but non-believing person to faith, on their death they receive the ultimate in healing.
Prayer -…