James 5:13-16 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.
As James concludes, he shares several essentials that he wants followers of Christ to remember as they live in community together. First of all, if you are in trouble, pray! Most of us don't have a problem with this one. Even atheists pray when in trouble. In fact, many of us will even exclude God from most of our daily living but seek Him out in an urgent sort of way if a problem occurs. It is almost as if we are saying: "God, I don't really need You unless I get into a bind. Then....I'll come looking for You!"
Okay....so at least we get this one at first glance. Maybe the one thing we take away from this one is that when we are in trouble, we oftentimes try to fix everything ourselves or we automatically look to someone else to bail us out. Maybe James is reminding us to take our troubles first and foremost to God. God seeks to be involved in every area of our lives, and He will not turn away from us when times get tough. Then James points out that if you are happy....sing songs of praise. At first glance, this doesn't seem too difficult. Yet sometimes.....when things are going well....we tend to pat ourselves on the back or simply take for granted that the good times are our entitlement. We sometimes fail to give credit where credit is due.
God is behind every blessing. Remembering this one cultivates a heart of gratitude and humility. Is someone sick? Call upon the elders to pray over them and anoint them with oil. Now in our day, the oil thing seems a little weird but in biblical times, oil was a very important commodity. It was used to light lamps, anoint kings, prepare the dead for burial, and as a healing agent. James suggests the use of this healing agent and prayer for the sick. Once again, this is no shocker. We might not pray for anything else but we will pray for loved ones who are sick. Maybe James is reminding us to care enough for one another to pray; not some half-hearted "I'll pray for you" and then you never do....... but an all out ministry of the community of faith....important enough to have the leaders gather for the sake of the sick person.
Also, maybe James is advocating for the use of medicine and prayer....both vital for the sake of healing! In fact, healing involves medical treatment, compassion, and prayer! Do you have a trouble in your life right now?
Are you trying to fix it on your own or have you brought it before the Lord? He cares about every area of your life! Have you stopped long enough today to praise God for the infinite number of ways He has blessed your life? God develops a heart of humility and gratitude in You when you praise Him! Do you pray for those who are sick? When we pray, we allow God to stretch our hearts with His compassion and we become partners with God to be agents of healing and wholeness.
Heavenly Father, give me a heart that is fully dependent on you....one that is filled with gratitude.....one that is always moved with compassion for those in need. Amen.
Jerry Sweat
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