Is anyone among you sick? 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 will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5:14-15 NKJV
Nearly every promise of God is conditional. This means there is a promise preceded by some instruction or requirement. For some, the only requirement is “Believe!” Others have more complicated instructions. For the Christian who needs healing but whose faith, for whatever reason, is not up to the task, we find that God has provided instructions.
The first step is to call for the church elders. This means being part of a church with leaders who believe in healing. The elders will pray over, not for, the person and anoint them with oil. The sick will be healed, forgiven, and raised up—that is the grand promise.
There is one other condition that we can’t gloss over: It’s the prayer of faith that saves the sick. It’s unclear to me who is supposed to pray that prayer. Is it the elders when they pray over him, or the sick or weary person after he has been refreshed by their prayers? In any case this prayer must be made with faith. What does that mean?
In the crowd I came up in, we quote Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Notice that the requirement is to believe. What are you supposed to believe? Believe that you receive what you ask for when you pray. The one who prays in faith believes that God has heard and answered at the moment that they pray. Most of us are more prone to hope we get it than to believe that we have it.
I’m reminded of the promises in John 5:14-15:
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
If you need healing or are an elder who prays for the sick, there’s one thing you must do: become convinced that it is God’s will to heal.
The Bible is full of promises and examples of the healing power of God. The most compelling evidence of God’s will to heal is undeniable: the life and ministry of Jesus. He told Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The book of Hebrews tells us. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus is a healer, and He has not changed.
Read the Gospels and see Jesus’ heart toward the sick and suffering. Ask yourself: Can I see the Jesus of the Bible refusing to heal or making someone sick? If the answer is “NO!” It’s time to pray the prayer of faith.
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