James Prayer For the Sick

 

James

Prayer For the Sick

So how does God want you and I to respond to sickness?

Jesus’ ministry is highlighted by His healing of the sick Malachi 4:2, Matthew 4:23    

The preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom went hand in hand with healing

When Jesus sent out His disciples, He gave them power to heal Matthew 10:1

In Jesus’ final words He addresses all believers and says

“They will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”  Mark 16:18

So what are we to make of this?

Be compassionate

Don’t fear laying hands on the sick

Anoint with oil, give the sick therapeutic to make them comfortable and whole

Deal with any unresolved issues of sin in love no matter how uncomfortable it is

To fight for the sick person’s health to the very end

Even if that means to pray for the resurrection of the dead 

 And in the end, know you are only a servant of the Lord

It is the Lord who will raise the sick person up

If not from the hospital bed

He will raise them up from this world into His eternal loving arms

 

 

Prayer For the Sick

 

The Old Testament priest were not the healers,

 but did carry out healing guidelines and duties.

  

Jesus went about healing the sick.

 

Jesus’ disciples healed the sick.

 

The “sheep”, the congregation

of the church, visited the sick.

 Matthew 25:36, 43

 

I have known many people who cannot

go to a hospital or a funeral home.

 

 They are traumatized by sickness and death.

 

They feel powerless and afraid.

 

This is not how God wants you to feel.

 

The Corona Virus has some people

in fear and others in carelessness.

 

So how does God want you

and I to respond to sickness?

 

Jesus’ ministry is highlighted

by His healing of the sick.

 Malachi 4:2, Matthew 4:23    

 

The preaching of the Gospel of the

Kingdom went hand in hand with healing.

 

When Jesus sent out His disciples,

He gave them power to heal.

 Matthew 10:1

 

In Jesus’ final words He

addresses all believers and says…

 

“They will place their hands on sick people,

and they will get well.”

 Mark 16:18

 

So what are we to make of this?

 

It is clear to see Jesus is

compassionate toward the sick.

 

Compassion is at the center of

who God is and what He does.

 

If we are to heal the sick,

 we must have compassion.

 

Compassion must be accompanied with action.

 

We are to visit the sick, comfort them.

 Matthew 25:36  

 

Fear follows sickness, afraid of the suffering,

the losses and consequences from being sick,

the fear of not recovering.

 

Remember the Good Samaritan…

 

But a Samaritan, as he traveled,

came where the man was;

and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

He went to him and bandaged his wounds,

pouring on oil and wine.

Then he put the man on his own donkey,

 took him to an inn and took care of him.

 Luke 10:33-35

 

Anointing with oil not only means putting

a drop on someone’s forehead in faith…

 

 But giving nourishing and healing therapeutics.

 

The Good Samaritan not only took the time

to give the healing therapeutics…

 

 But paid for the cost of medical caregivers.

 

That is compassion.

 

For the believer…

 

 Healing goes beyond compassion.

 

Believers pray.

 

For those of us who are troubled by

being around sick people…

 

 We must first pray for ourselves,

 because others need you.

 

Sandy will tell you she is no Florence Nightingale.

 

She would leave the hospital ministry to me.

 

But after she was diagnosed with cancer,

 she had a new drive to visit the sick.

 

She would comforted them with the

Word of God and prayed for them.

 

I felt unneeded and inferior to the

powerful ministry she gave to the sick.

 

When we pray we must believe.

 

What do we believe?

 

First, God cares and God restores.

 

How He restores is not a formula,

but His creativity.

 

This is why James says…

 

 We pray “over” the sick person.

 

I believe this to mean we enter into prayer

looking for what God is doing in the sick

person’s life and what He wants to do.

 

This may be different than our approach.

 

We all like the quick miracle…

 

 But sometime we will need to pray and fast.

 

We need to remember James’ words…

 

If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

James 5:15       

 

Although not all sickness is the result of sin…

 

 We do need to first and foremost address

their right relationship with God and others.

 

If there is a breakdown in a right

relationship with God or others…

 

 We need to help the sick person find forgiveness.

 

The last thing we should look at is…

 

 James say, “the Lord will raise him up”.

 

Healing is not faith in your faith…

 

 It is faith in God.

 

When I was 40 years old there was

a 40 year old woman in our church.

 

She loved the Lord and the church.

 

Her name was Carol.

 

Carol was a nurse and a person full

of energy and loved the outdoors.

 

She hiked, loved kayaking and rafting.

 

She would ride her bike to the church during

the week to work in the flower beds.

 

Everybody in the church loved Carol.

 

Carol got cancer.

 

The elders came to the hospital and

anointed her with oil and prayed.

 

The church fasted and prayed.

 

I went to visit her at the

hospital several times a week.

 

Everything the elders and the people

of the church could have done, was done.

 

In my visits with her something stood out…

 

She had peace.

 

She would comfort me by telling me

she was ready to meet the Lord.

 

God did not raise her from the hospital bed.

 

But He did raise her up to be with Him.

 

I have had many times when I have prayed

for the sick and anointed them with oil.

 

It has been very hard for me to

accept God taking them home.

 

I strongly believe God heals the sick.

 

I strongly believe I am to lay my hands

on the sick and they are to recover.

 

But many have died.

 

I have had to come to the realization of my part...

 

Be compassionate.

 

Don’t fear laying hands on the sick.

 

Anoint with oil, give the sick therapeutic

 to make them comfortable and whole.

 

Deal with any unresolved issues of sin

in love no matter how uncomfortable it is.

 

To fight for the sick person’s health

to the very end, even if that means to

pray for the resurrection of the dead.

 

 And in the end…

 

 Know you are only a servant of the Lord.

 

It is the Lord who will raise the sick person up.

 

If not from the hospital bed…

 

 He will raise them up from this world

into His eternal loving arms.

 

With gratefulness and praise, I have seen many

sick people healed by the pray of faith.

 

So never stop praying for the sick.   

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

James 5:13-16 NIV

 

13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.