Prayer and Prepare
I’m almost at the end of my devotional journey in James. And I have to say I’ve really enjoyed the discipline of coming to a new verse or passage every day. I’ve learnt much from this straight-talking, and at times - “pull no punches” book. …The verses I read this morning were from chapter 5:15-16 - this was the passage I wrestled with most. We’ll read it and then I’ll tell you why.
James 5:14-16 NIV [14] Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. [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.
The reason I wrestled with this passage so much is that James seems to give the sick person certain assurance of their healing. He says “they will be made well.” “They will be raised up.” And “they will be forgiven.” If only James had used “may” instead of “will” it would have been much easier to accept. …The reality is many people we pray for are not healed. Indeed not everyone the apostles prayed for were healed. We read that Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletus (2 Tim 4:20). And Paul himself, (despite repeated prayers), had his thorn in the flesh remain with him.
What does James mean? …I went to wiser heads for answers. Let me summarise what John Blanchard from his commentary in James wrote. He said there are two invisible conditions in the passage that deserve particular close attention. They are: “the name of the Lord,” and “the prayer offered in faith.” He writes:
The Name of the Lord.
“The plain truth is that the actions James describes are only effective when carried out ‘in the name of the Lord,’ that is to say in accordance with his mind; on his authority. There must therefore be a thoughtful, Spirit directed conviction that it is right to call for the elders, and as ‘God is not a God of disorder’ (1 Corinthians 14:33), we may expect that when there is, the elders will have a similar conviction that the course of action is right. ‘The caller and the called must act in the name of the Lord.”
The prayer offered in faith.
“Simply put, ‘the prayer offered in faith’ is a prayer offered with the definite conviction that it has God’s approval.”
On both invisible conditions John Blanchard has much more to say in his commentary: “Truth for Life.” But as this forum is only my devotional thoughts and not a commentary on the passage, I’ll point you to his excellent book for further reading.
Prayer and Prepare
To summarise - the sick should prayerfully seek the Lord in regard to their healing. If convicted to do so, should make contact with the church elders and ask for prayer. In response the church elders should come - and as they do, be asking God for believing faith. Both parties ought also to prepare - confessing all known sins before the anointing of oil. This too is included in the text (v16). Therefore there is both the need for prayer and to prepare in order to fulfil the conditions laid out in this passage. Lets pray now.
Heavenly Father thank you for this powerful, but challenging text. In my ministry help me to prepare and be in prayer as I minister to the flock. Amen.