Episode 165 - "Pray in faith" James 5:13-18
James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
I’m going to cut to the chase this week. Numerous times through my Bible study podcasts, I’ve spoken about the element of repetition in literature. When we see repetition, it is likely there to emphasize what is most important. Do you see any repetition in these six verses? How about “pray/prayer.” I counted seven occurrences of some form of “pray” in these verses. This section is about prayer. More specifically, I would suggest that James admonishes these believers to pray because prayer in faith is effective.
I draw this emphasis out first because some of the statements in this section have created no small amount of disagreement between believers. I could probably write pages about every instruction given by James in these six verses. But I want to keep this as simple and straightforward as possible. So, if you get nothing else out of this, I hope you will be encouraged to pray in faith, trusting the Lord will answer your prayers.
Prayer is talking to God. When you talk with a family member, you believe they are accessible and willing to hear you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t bother, would you? The same is true about God. However, we cannot see God and, I would dare say, most of us have not heard an audible voice from heaven. So, faith is that element that causes us to trust that God is accessible and willing to listen to our prayers. James has already accused his readers of not asking God for what they need, and when they do ask, they ask specifically for their own selfish desires. (James 4:2-3) In essence, he is saying they have little faith and are too self-centered.
In verse 13, James tells the one who is suffering to pray. That prayer might involve giving thanks in faith that God may use it for some unforeseen good purpose. At the same time, that request may ask God to remove the cause of the suffering. That’s what Paul did. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-10) There’s nothing wrong with asking in faith. Perhaps the Lord will remove it, and perhaps he won’t. But we trust that while God is able to do anything, he will also do what is best for us even if we don’t like it.
James then says that someone who is cheerful should “sing praise.” Praise is a form of prayer. It is telling God how awesome he is. In prayer, sometimes we’re talking or singing, and sometimes we’re listening, just like in any other conversation.
Verses 14-15 are where things get a little tricky (maybe). The advice from James is for one who is sick. That person is to “call for the elders of the church . . .” So far, so good. He continues, “and let them pray over him . . .” Sounds reasonable. Then, “anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” What? What does this have to do with helping someone recover from sickness? More importantly, is this an absolute, works every time promise? I’ve met people who never go anywhere without a bottle of oil with which they can anoint and pray for people. I think that it’s rather nice they have that kind of consideration and foresight to be prepared for such an encounter. As a person who grew up in a church tradition that, for some reason, did not practice this, I must admit that I’m not as prepared as some folks. However, I would be happy to oblige anyone who asked me. Let me explain what I believe is the underlying problem.
There is the potential that some of these people, eager to find someone they can anoint, believe they have the power to heal people. That is not what this letter is suggesting. The evidence for this is that elders are to be called and not people with some particular “spiritual gift of healing.” Secondly, the emphasis on what the elders are to do is to pray. The anointing with oil in the name of the Lord is a qualifying modifier of their prayer. Olive oil was commonly used for medicinal use in that day, and therefore James could just be adding this to make it clear this is not an either/or instruction. In other words, James is likely saying to pray for healing in the name of the Lord while you do what you normally do to address their infirmity. James’ instruction to anoint with oil could have a more symbolic meaning in which the oil represents God’s presence. I don’t have a problem with that. What I believe is most important is that the infirmed person, as well as the elders, should understand that healing is first and foremost from the Lord and not oil or other object or treatment or something within ourselves. Acting like we have some special ability, that other believers do not, elicits pride and is sometimes used for control and manipulation. All the honor must go to the Lord and for the service to others.
The next problem is the meaning of verse 15, which seems to conclude the prayer with a promise. It says, “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” This sounds like a guarantee that it works one hundred percent of the time. The problem is that it doesn’t always in the way we want it to. Worse yet, those who think it means that have been guilty of suggesting that when the healing didn’t occur when people hoped or expected it to happen, the infirmed and the elders did not have enough faith. Let’s think about that for a minute. How many of those people who would make such an accusation do you think will be alive 150 years from now? Will they not get sick and die? So, even they don’t have enough faith, right? The Apostle Paul had plenty of faith and was not healed of his thorn in the flesh. David fasted and prayed for healing for his young child whom Bathsheba bore from his adulterous relations with her. (2 Samuel 12:16-24) Yet, the Lord did not heal the child.
But James' point is that healing is found in the Lord. The Lord does and will heal many who ask in faith. The Gospels have numerous examples of Jesus and the disciples anointing people with oil and healing them. Later in Acts, the apostles heal the infirmed, in the name of Jesus, as well. Finally, for everyone who has faith in the Lord, “the Lord will raise him up” ultimately and permanently someday (v. 15) For those who trust in the Lord, we are looking for the ultimate healing in the resurrection.
Through the rest of verses 15-16, James reminds us that sin might be the cause of our sickness. While we believe that Jesus has paid the penalty of our sin on the cross, it is important to appropriate that forgiveness through confession in order that our fellowship with God is restored.
If we have any doubt regarding the power of prayer, James reminds us of Elijah and his prayer to stop the rain and later again to restore it. James' point is that he was human, just like us. He did not have some special power within himself. He was righteous. He was a person who was not practicing sin or leaving it unresolved with the Lord. He made his requests to the Lord, and the Lord answered his prayers.
Finally, remember what Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him to teach them to pray. The prayer begins with an acknowledgment of who God is. That is followed immediately with a request for God’s Kingdom to come. That means we are praying that, first and foremost, God’s will happens over anything else we might ask. (See Matthew 6:9-10)
Prayer: Lord - Lead us in your way. Reveal our sin so that we may confess it to others and to you. Grant us faith to make our requests to you and give us joy that will lead us to praise you.