ames 5:14-15(NKJV)
14Is 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. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
We are in something of a parallel study at LWCC right now and this scripture bridges them nicely. On Sunday mornings we have been studying faith and the need to walk in faith. On Friday nights we are taking time once a month to look at the subject of divine healing. This scripture speaks to both. To walk in faith our prayer life must not be simple ritual. It must be alive with relationship. Prayer is nothing less than communication with the Lord. For that to happen we must pray by faith. James highlights this using healing as the arena, however the principles in this chapter are not limited to healing.
First let’s find the priorities in this verse. James asks a question, “Is any sick among you?” The assumed answer is yes. Then he says to call the elders of the church. They are to do two things. They are to pray for him and anoint him with oil. I want to take a moment to make sure we don’t allow the same religious thinking that causes ineffective praying to creep into our understanding of what James is saying.
I am not against anointing with oil, however I believe it is important that we put it into the proper perspective. Is oil necessary for healing? No. There are many places in the new testament where healing is accomplished with no oil. As matter of fact, this is the only instance I have found where oil is mentioned as a part of the healing process in the New Testament. Why then, does James say the elders should anoint the sick with oil? I believe it can be a focal point for faith. These were people who were still a part of the Jewish culture. Oil is a type of the anointing. When the sick felt the oil it gave them a physical sense of the touch of God. For some, this still may be true.
To me the problem is the tendency for us to focus on such physical things. There is nothing “magic” or “spiritual” about oil. It is just a symbol. If it were necessary there would be many more references to oil and healing in the New Testament. If you like to use oil that’s fine. If it helps you to stand on the healing promise specifically in this scripture, no problem, but oil is not the essential here.
What about the elders? Again, I think we get into too many religious attitudes. Do I need church elders to get healed? No. James says call the elders because they are supposed to be mature and have faith. If you are going to have someone pray for you it is a good idea that they be people who pray in faith. When he says “elders of the church” James is speaking of a local church relationship. It is their job to be accountable for you. This is not religious, it is sensible. I have had people call me as an elder of the church to pray for them, but they are not in any church let alone mine. They just saw this verse and thought they needed some religious elder. That won’t work.
The other two elements in these verses are, however, essential. You can be healed with our without oil. Having elders pray can be a very good thing, but you can be healed by praying for yourself. What in this verse actually saves the sick? It is not the oil. It is not the fact that the praying person is an elder. It is the prayer of faith that saves the sick. To receive anything from God we need to pray in faith. We need to have prayers that are saturated by faith in God, not by religious form or tradition. They don’t have to be long or eloquent. They just have to be prayers of faith.
Then it says that God will raise the sick person up. God is the other essential in this equation. If we don’t connect with the Lord we will not be healed. The prayer of faith makes the connection and God will do the rest. If we have no connection, we have no power. Praying in faith makes the connection.
Let’s set aside religious thinking this week and see prayer for what it is. It is communicating with the Lord. It is making a connection with Him that will bring the power of God into play in every area of my life. Call elders if you need some agreement. Ask for the anointing with oil if it will help your faith. Just remember, it is the prayer of faith that saves the sick or the depressed or the financially troubled or the family situation or anything else for that matter and God who will raise you up.
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