Prayer (Monday) – James 5:13-18
Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:13-18 NAS
At least in theory, we know that the effective prayer of a righteous man, like Elijah, can accomplish much. We know of Elijah’s righteous exploits. They are chronicled in the old testament. But what about us? Has the body of Christ in America demonstrated in practice that she has accomplished much in the way of prayer? At church do we have a logjam at the microphone of those who are bursting to give an account of having been raised up after the elders had prayed over them? This is not a current problem in most assemblies. Our explanations for this are varied.
In some settings the theme of God’s sovereignty is emphasized so heavily, prayer hardly makes sense since God knows all and is concerned for all. He knows our words (and no doubt our prayers) before we utter them. Here, the unspoken question of the heart could be, “In this domain of sovereignty, my prayer is needed because ??????” The ambitious intercession of some might even seem like meddling since God’s will is seen as being done on earth pretty much in spite of us.
An explanation for our lean status regarding divine intervention in some settings is that God, in the view of some, has dispensed with childish things, like the gifts of the Spirit after he arranged for us to have his written word. So for them, the miraculous was unique to a dispensation where it was needed to launch the church and keep it humming until the Word could be made paper. It’s not really too surprising no one is healed where no one is asking.
As a person who has had a good deal of opportunity for the elders to pray over him, I have been overwhelmed at all the ways people can come at the issue of sickness. I believe I documented ten different approaches to healing by my well meaning brothers and sisters. I wondered frequently as one after another was presented, was I supposed to have faith in Christ alone for my healing, or faith in the method being presented. I seriously wonder if Jesus might not withhold miracles from us if we think we can conjure them up with some patented process that inadvertently excludes him.
Perhaps the problem of elder-led prayer is simply an absence of elders. In some churches, by design, there are no elders (in the sense of spiritual leaders). In these settings, an elder would be explained to be simply an older person. My word study indicates that the ratio of the words translated as pastor (in Church leadership capacity) to those translated as elder (in Church leadership capacity) is 1/13. Enough said.
Since it’s an assumption to the New Testament writers that Jesus was a healer, I cannot go out further in my revelation as some have, reducing this aspect of his ministry to a one time historical anomaly. While that would be convenient in light of the few healings we see, it would be unthinkable if I am to also believe that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and always.
I am speaking now as an elder (in at least one sense of that word. (I’m 63.) In light of new testament scripture, which remains my best reference point for life in the Kingdom, I could imagine a kingdom culture that is constructed from a set of biblical values. Today’s passage prompts me to think of a few of them. (Note; Although these may seem like biblical ideas to me, they will appear to the institutional, pastor-led (elder-less church), as the mere rant of an elderly man.)
1. Find elders who agree that all things are possible with God because Jesus is the same today as he always has been and always will be.
2. Find elders who agree that, in spite of God’s sovereignty, we are called to a life of faith-driven activity that is integral to the Kingdom’s growth; activity that includes our prayers of faith.
3. Find elders who are at rest in Christ, who understand that the only righteousness they have is that which was gifted them in Christ, therefore they are equipped as well (or better) than Elijah was.
4. Find elders who have become the poor in spirit and have been given the kingdom of heaven; people who because they have been broken, can truly empathize with others and who personally know the power of God to raise men up from the ash heap.
5. Find elders who are accessible and available to share their lives with others; people who by nature, spawn community – safe spaces where everyone prays for each other on the merit of God’s desire to give good gifts to his children and the righteousness we have in Christ.
I believe God does desire to heal us in spite of our track record (which seems to suggest otherwise). And, I really don’t think, other than us, there is much in the way. I don’t believe we are locked out of divine healing by virtue of being in the wrong dispensation. We simply need to press on with faith and patience recognizing with James that…
The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
We just need to be willing to live together without offense toward God or each other for what has not happened. We also need to avoid building doctrines and church culture around what has not happened instead of what the scriptures reveal can and should happen. We need to foster the habit of asking and patiently expecting the precious produce of the soil.
Father, we see that between us and the promised land of your kingdom, there exists a world of misinformation sown by your enemy. In your kindness, grant us humility to see how much of that information is lodged in our own hearts, obscuring our vision. As Satan’s lies are exposed allow us to to see him fall from the heights of his temporal throne. May we see a reformation of new testament life that is fueled by your Living Word and your Spirit. Amen