Thoughts on Prayer and Healing
Thoughts on Prayer and Healing
James 5:13–18
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
15 and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. (NASB 2020)
I do not think that this passage can be understood to mean that if the elders of the church anoint them with oil and pray for them Father will always heal people. We cannot read any of this as commands that assure blessing or as a formula for getting Father to do what we want. To do so would negate much that is clearly taught elsewhere.
Reading this section of James 5, I first see him telling people to reach out to God when they are suffering and to rejoice when they are happy. This, to me, sets the stage for the entire passage. James is talking about how the assembly of believers works together and relies upon God for daily needs.
Clearly Father can and does heal people physically. Just as clearly, He does not always do that. A central truth is that God is interested in expressing His love and providing eternal life. That is the ultimate form of healing.
1 Peter 2:24 cites Isaiah 53:5 in saying, “and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.” (NASB 2020) The Greek word translated “healed” here is the same as the one in James. That Peter cites Isaiah in this way makes it very clear that the use of the word “healed” cannot be taken to mean only physical healing. While physical healing may well be included, I think it’s clear that spiritual healing is also in view here.
That the statement in James 5 verse 15 goes on to promise forgiveness of sins also helps us see that this passage is not saying that everyone we anoint and pray for can expect physical healing. This is not a formula for getting God to heal people. If it were, then we should all be emptying the hospitals by anointing and praying for everyone, so they are physically healed and eternally saved.
Verse 16 urges that we confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we can be healed. The passage then underscores the great power of prayer and James illustrates that power in the two verses that follow.
I think this is showing us that as members of the body of Christ, we in the assembly of believers are best served to share ourselves fully with one another. I see this as a call to transparent living. If we are candid about our failings, struggles, and sin, we are approachable by others. When others see that we have faults just as they do, it is easier for them to come and share their own. We can then pray for one another together and separately and expect that Father not only hears but answers our prayers.
In this way we build one another up, encourage one another, and we are all better equipped to deal with the hardships we face. It is this dynamic and authentic living out of the life and character of Jesus that marks the children of God and makes Him known to the world around us.
Finally, prayer does great things. Through prayer we get to participate in Father’s purposes and join with Him in lifting up our sisters and brothers. James here makes it clear that we need not be shy about praying big prayers. There is nothing too hard for God.
