Daily Devotions
James
"And the prayer of faith will save the sick..."
Text: James 5:15
THE PLACE OF PRAYER
James urged his readers to be diligent in prayer. However, prayer was not meant to be a substitute for medical treatment.
“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.”
James 5:15
1. “And the prayer of faith”
a) James was stating the obvious.
b) All prayers must be accompanied by faith (James 1:6).
2. “Will save the sick”
a) Can the prayer of faith save the sick?
Undoubtedly!
b) But is prayer the only means of saving the sick?
No! James was not teaching that prayer was the only means of saving the sick!
3. “And the Lord will raise him up”
a) The Lord is involved because His name was invoked.
b) The anointing of oil was to be done in the name of the Lord.
c) Can the Lord raise the sick?
No question about it!
d) But is it always in His will to raise the sick?
The answer is an obvious “No!”
i) Paul had many infirmities.
ii) His request to be made well was turned down.
iii) He was urged to trust in the sufficiency of God’s grace.
iv) Paul who healed others was not saved from his own thorn in the flesh.
v) The wise apostle chose to rejoice in God’s will and His grace (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
4. “And if he has committed sins”
a) James is not suggesting that illness is always related to sin.
b) However, if sins had been committed, they must be confessed.
5. “He will be forgiven”
Forgiveness from the Lord is more than possible! Let us recall how the Lord Jesus healed a paralytic. He addressed the problem of sin in his life first. He offered forgiveness and then healed the man from his paralysis (Mark 2:1-12).