James 5:13-18

James 5:13-18
This passage is a study on prayer. If we as believers are suffering in some way, we should pray. If we are happy we should praise the Lord. Maybe these two instances are reminders from the Lord. Nobody's life is without hardships, and when they come, we should pray rather than panic or grow fearful or depressed. Likewise, good times come too, and these may be the hardest times to remember the Lord. But v. 13 reminds us to sing praises.

When we are sick we are to call on the church for prayer. And those of us who are not sick should be sensitive to praying for the needs of others. Oil in the Bible was used as a medicine, and it was also a symbol of the Holy Spirit. It was not the oil that healed, but the healing came as a result of prayer and perhaps medicine as well. vv. 14-15 According to v. 15, it is obviously the Lord who does the healing. And we must remember that any healing we experience in this life is temporary as we will all die at some point. So don't take this to mean that when a person is not healed, he is not right with God. But we know that often it is God's will to heal, and when He does, it's a chance for rejoicing! The end of v. 15 seems to say that sometimes healing comes as a result of confessing our sins. We know for sure that our spiritual "sickness" is healed by confessing our sins.

v. 16 Spiritually mature people should confess their sins and their needs to one another so that we can pray for one another to be healed, both physically and spiritually. It's a grave responsibility when another believer trusts you by sharing very personal needs, and it's very important that we take these needs directly to God and never use the information for gossip or anything else. "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." v. 16 Elijah from the Old Testament is used here as an illustration of someone who prayed earnestly, and God worked miracles in answer to his prayers. The God who answered Elijah is the same God we serve!