My heart is sorrowful to think that more people rely on outside sources more than God. Instead of seeking for someone to pray over their illness, they find fulfillment in different drugs, medications, treatments and surgery’s. I am not saying that these options are bad, however, this does not jive with what God’s Word says. Before we seek help from outside sources, our first form of assistance should come from God. And whenever healing is mentioned, it is always associated to someone else praying over us. We can pray to God ourselves, but most of the time healing comes when another person of faith has prayed over us. I have been involved with healings like this many times and it is amazing how fast God works in a person’s life. This also goes along with what James said as well. He wrote, 1“is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” (James 5:14,15) So the elders of the church are people of faith that we can trust in times of need. They aren’t just good people we know in church, but people that want to pray for others in need. It is up to us to call on them.
When it comes to healing, James also said that we ought to be confessing our sins and what is troubling us one to another in the faith. This way, these faithful brothers and sisters can also pray over us and we can be healed. It is written, 1“confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16) This is what I experience all the time in evangelism. I start sharing my faith with different people and slowly they start opening up about their addictions, health issues and other problems. It is the Holy Spirit that is doing that work and leading them to have faith in prayer. We then are able to pray over them and God’s healing begins to start in their lives. Now, please understand that evangelists do have these opportunities more often than not, but this does not exclude other believers. Every believer should also be open with their faults, health and other things, that other people in the faith will also pray for them. By doing this, less people will rely on pharmaceutical drugs and on God. He will be their number one option. This may be a shift in what you thought before the message, but isn’t it so good to be in line with scripture. Also, your faith in God and his healing touch will do amazing things in your life.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I trust in You and other people that You have called to minister in the church. Just like You are using me in the faith, You have a hand on other believers as well. Therefore, I have faith that You can have any one of them to pray over me when I am in sin, sick or troubled. You are my healer and by calling these brothers and sisters in the faith to pray over me is asking You to do so in my life. You are the one really orchestrating the whole event and I am so grateful to receive prayer for healing. There are miracles happening all the times because of prayer, and this is because of my faith and the faith of others combined. Thank You Lord. I am so grateful to have people that I know I call upon when there is a need. Other resources like prescription drugs, doctors and counselors are fine and they have a role on earth, but they will never come before You again. Only when it is important that I bear my illness for a time, that I will use these other resources. And instead, I will call upon You for assistance. Through Your will, I know that others in the faith will respond to my needs, as they come up. Prayer is truly a remarkable event, God, and I just wish that more people would realize how beneficial it is for our lives. I know that You desire to heal us all, but we have to put forth the effort on our parts to get the right people in our lives, that will pray over us. Your messengers are here for our needs, we just need to trust in them as we trust in You and call upon them. Lord, I trust in Your mighty power and who You desire to work through is not my concern. Your healing power is still for us now. I have experienced this and I know that many others can as well. I love You. Amen.
Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.
1James 5 (KJV)
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
