The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. – James 5:15
We continue with the theme of prayer, today. It is Wednesday for those who may have lost track. It is a day when some would gather for Bible Study, and spend time uplifting one another in prayer. James closes this short epistle with a call to prayer. In verse 13, James returns the subject of suffering. The letter opened with a call to consider it pure joy when we face trials and suffering for our faith. Now, in response to how the letter was opened we find that prayer is the answer to suffering, turning our mourning into dancing as the psalmists says, or as James indicates let our prayers move us to sing and be happy.
The suffering that James is referring to is what was brought up in an earlier verse, 5:10 where we see that this suffering is a reference to the suffering prophets endured for the Lord. The prophets suffered for their stand for righteousness and God’s truth. When we suffer for the sake of righteousness, we are called to pray, and God will fill us with power, and joy, and our prayers and our sufferings will turn into songs of thanksgiving.
From here, James moves to talk about those who are physically ill, and in need of prayer. When James speaks of the healing of people, and the anointing of oil, notice that he doesn’t say we need to go to the preacher, or to the pastor, but the elders (plural) of the church. In this, James is calling for the faithful community to pray together for healing.
I’m sure as a church we have done that, and know that we still pray for one another, especially as each has need. In these days, we might not be able to gather around someone, anoint them, or lay hands on them, but that doesn’t mean prayer is moot. Prayers must continue for each other as we lift them, gathered in Spirit to God for healing, comfort, peace, etc. James still leads us further that these in our prayers, however. James calls us to pray for forgiveness.
When we pray for forgiveness, we also are called to do something. We must forgive. If we want to be forgiven, we need to make amends for what we have done wrong, or to whom we have done wrong and seek forgiveness. Sometimes this even means forgiving ourselves for the mistakes that we have made that keep us from living a life abundant and joyful, and start living as if we truly have faith that we are forgiven.
If we are praying for guidance in a situation, sometimes we have to actually start moving in that direction. We cannot always just stop, wait, and do nothing. And say we are praying for guidance. Guidance comes as we are moving, not as we are stopped. My GPS can tell me where to go, can offer me directions as to how to get to where I’m going, but when I actually start moving, something different happens. My GPS begins to understand where I really am, and guides me to where I need to be. If I take a wrong turn, the GPS re-directs me sometimes on an alternative route, but still gets me to where I need to go.
Praying for guidance in our lives is much like that. We think we know how to get to where we need to be as a community, as a person, as a leader, but as we start moving, and as we pray for guidance the Spirit of God may redirect us, may tell us to turn around, may be silent for miles-and-miles as long as we are heading in the right direction.
Our faith in God should not have to stop to question if we are still going in the right direction. Our faith in God should call us to trust that the Holy Spirit will redirect us as we pray if we begin to stray from the path.
Today, the path ahead for society, for church gathering, for seemingly everything about life is uncertain. However, I believe that through prayer, God will lead us on, and in this, I hold on to the faith, and pray.
Grace & Peace,
Sam