THE PRAYER OF FAITH JAMES 5: 13-20

THE PRAYER OF FAITH

   13) Is any one of you in trouble?  He should pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let him sing songs of praise.  14) 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.  15) 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.  16) 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.

   17) Elijah was a man just like us.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  18) Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 

   19) My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20) remember this:  Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.  James 5:  13-20  (NIV)

LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE    NIV

5: 14,15  James is referring to someone who is incapacitated physically.  In Scripture, oil was both a medicine and a symbol of the Spirit of God.  Thus oil can represent both the medical and the spiritual spheres of life.  Christians should not separate the physical and the spiritual--Jesus Christ is Lord over both the body and the spirit.

   People in the church are not alone.  Members of Christ's body should be able to count on others for support and prayer, especially when they are suffering.  The elders should be on call to respond to the illness of any member, and the church should stay alert to pray for the needs of all its members.

5: 15  "The prayer offered in faith" does not refer to the faith of the sick person, but to the faith of the people praying.  God heals, faith doesn't, and all prayers are subject to God's will.  But our prayers are part of God's healing process.  That is why God often waits for our prayers of faith before intervening to heal a person.

5: 16  Christ has made it possible for us to go directly to God for forgiveness.  But confessing our sins to each other still has an important place in the life of the church.  (1) If we have sinned against an individual, we must ask him or her to forgive us.  (2) If our sin has affected the church, we must confess it publicly.  (3) If we need loving support as we struggle with a sin, we should confess that sin to those who are able to provide that support.  (4) If, after confessing a private sin to God, we still don't feel His forgiveness, we may wish to confess that sin to a fellow believer and hear him or her assure us of God's pardon.  In Christ's kingdom, every believer is a priest to other believers. (1 Peter 2:9)

Do you have a relationship with Jesus?  Click here for more information on how to become a child of The Most High God:  https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html

5:16-18  The Christian's most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer.  The results are often greater than we thought were possible.  Some people see prayer as a last resort to be tried when all else fails.  This approach is backward.  Prayer should come first.  Because God's power is infinitely greater than ours, it only makes sense to rely on it--especially because God encourages us to do so.

5: 19-20  Clearly this person who has wandered from the truth is a believer who has fallen into sin--one who is no longer living a life consistent with his or her beliefs.  Christians disagree over whether or not it is possible for people to lose their salvation, but all agree that those who move away from their faith are in serious trouble and need to repent.  James urges Christians to help backsliders return to God.  By taking the initiative, praying for the person, and acting in love, we can meet the person where he or she is and bring him or her back to God and His forgiveness.

5:20  The book of James emphasizes faith in action.  Right living is the evidence and result of faith.  The church must serve with compassion, speak lovingly and truthfully, live in obedience to God's commands, and love one another.  The body of believers ought to be an example of heaven on earth, drawing people to Christ through love for God and each other.  If we truly believe God's Word, let it not be just something we read or think about, but something we do.  Belief, faith, and trust must have hands and feet----ours.

MY THOUGHTS

5:13  I believe the best prescription for depression is singing songs of praise.

5: 14,15 Since we believe that God forgives our sins, we also believe that God heals our physical bodies.

5: 16-18  "Our most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer".  Jesus prayed all of the time and He is God.  How much more should we pray?  My prayer life can always be improved.  How about yours?  If you need or want prayer, we have a "prayer page"  just click here: https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/prayer-requests.html .  I check this page several times daily.  I pray for all who request it.

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