Today, our passage is James 5:13 through 16, 19 and 20.
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. … My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. (NLT) This entire passage from praying to confessing has to do with being involved in a community of believers who trust one another, desire to help one another, and will even go the extra mile to rescue others.
Confessing our sins to God is a given. But having someone to get real with about the evils and struggles of our own hearts can accelerate our spiritual growth. Especially as we create accountability and pray for one another.
Here’s The Message Bible’s take on this passage … Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out. Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. … My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.
Where do you go when you’re hurting?
Where do you go when something great happens?
Where do you go when you just can’t seem to get rid of something that’s hurting you?
Who would come after you if you wandered away from your faith?
Who would you go after if you saw them wandering away?
Whoever’s names you answered with … that, my friend, is your faith community.
Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, thank You for those who would work to rescue me and those You have placed in my life that I would rescue. Help me to surrender more to You each day so I can gain everyone in my community that You desire to be in it. As above, so below.