So, how are we to respond to our trials? What does real, living faith look like? Well, James has been showing us that real faith is trust in God which is put into action. This affects how we speak to and about one another, it affects our attitudes and actions towards each other. But faith, in face of suffering is fundamentally about our relationship with God. So, prayer is key.
A look at the text (Read James 5:13-20)
Prayer should be the believer’s response to all circumstances, whether trouble (hardship and afflictions endured) or joy where the latter should be expressed in singing praise (5:13).[1] This applies to specific examples of trouble, so those who are ill are to call the elders of the church to pray for them.[2] The elders are also to anoint them with oil which may suggest either the use of oil for is medicinal properties or as a symbolic action, a reminder of the Holy Spirit’s anointing. Whilst the former is possible, I believe that in this context due to the linking of healing and forgiveness that the focus is more on oil as symbolic (5:14). The promise is that as a result of prayer, they will receive healing for physical sickness and forgiveness for sin (5:15). So, the believers are encouraged to confess their sin to one another. [3]Note that this is public, mutual and corporate and not the private confessional to a priest of church tradition (5:16).
Just as we have seen previous examples of faith in action with Abraham and Rahab, so too with regards to prayer as an outworking of faith, we are offered an Old Testament example. James, reminds his readers of Elijah who persevered in prayer, first for a drought to demonstrate God’s judgement on Ahab and then for the rain to return. Elijah is an example of someone who keeps going, keeps trusting God and keeps putting his faith into action (5:17-18).
Our mutual care for one another through confession, correction and repentance is reinforced as believers are reminded that calling someone back from a sinful direction is literally life saving (5:19-20).
Digging Deeper
It seems that in this particular context, that sickness and sin, forgiveness and healing are closely connected. This does not mean that sickness is always a direct consequence of sin, although it is a result of the Fall. However, there can be occasions when ill-health directly results from sin, particularly when we feed anger and bitterness in our hearts.
However, I believe that there is another reason as to why James makes the connection between healing and forgiveness. In Luke 5:17-26, Jesus heals a paralysed man. However, before he heals him, he declares him forgiven much to the consternation of watching Pharisees. Jesus insists that he has authority to forgive and demonstrates this by healing the man physically. I would suggest that in this context too, the physical healing after the elders’ prayer acts as an outer sign of the inner healing through forgiveness.
So, first of all, whilst I take the encouragement to ask the elders for prayer to be general, I believe that there is a specific benefit when the ill person is suffering from guilt and shame as well.
A look at ourselves
Practically, the responsibility lies with the one who is suffering to ask for prayer. So, generally speaking, we are all encouraged to be consistently praying in response to our circumsntances. However, there may be specific occasions when you are aware through the Holy Spirit’s prompting that you need to seek out prayer from the elders.
In such a situation, the elders should meet with the person and take time to hear them. They should be ready to gently probe to seek to get to the bottom of the matter, why is it that the person has come to see them. This means not rushing to pray simply for healing but wanting to get to the heart of things.
The elders should pray for the person. I would pray first that they would know God’s grace, forgiveness and peace in relation to the underlying situation and then that as a sign of this, they would experience physical healing too.
[1] Expressions of concern for one’s health also tended to form part of the customary ending of letters. Davids, The Epistle of James, 191.
[2] Davids notes that the illness must be serious if the elders are summoned rather than the person going to them. Davids, The Epistle of James, 192,
[3] On the different uses of oil for both it’s medicinal qualities and as a symbol, see McKnight, The letter of James, 437-440.
Faithroots 