Prayer For Healing
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The passage most often
quoted as authorizing prayer for the
sick is found in the epistle of James
and reads as follows: “Is any
among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is
any merry? Let him sing psalms. 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. 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 5:13-16.
These verses have been
subject to much dispute. Some hold
that prayer for healing is no longer
necessary, since we have well-trained
physicians and surgeons as well as
good hospitals giving efficient
service. Under these conditions,
there is no need for appealing to
heaven for help that we can supply
ourselves. Others take the position
that healing is as much a part of the
gospel as preaching, and that God
intends that the two shall go hand in
hand until the end of time.
As believers in the
Bible and the divine commission to
preach the gospel to every creature,
we hold that it is our work to
harmonize as nearly as possible with
the pattern given us in the example
and teaching of Jesus. This teaching
includes the instruction given by
James, wherein he counsels us that in
the case of sickness the elders of
the church are to be called to pray
for the one who is sick, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord,
and the prayer of faith shall save
the sick. Let us carefully review the
exhortation that James gives.
James Speaks
“Is any among you
afflicted? Let him pray.” The
afflicted here mentioned may be any
person who has one of the many
ailments that beset men, which are
not ordinarily fatal, but annoying
and often painful. For such, James
says, “Let him pray.”
God is interested in
all that concerns us, and we may come
to Him even what may seem trivial
matters. That He asks us to come is
in itself significant, for we cannot
believe that God would invite us if
all He had in mind were to ignore our
plea. While permission to approach
Him might not imply an unconditional
promise to heal, it does show
God’s interest in our welfare
and certainly indicates that He is
predisposed in our favor.
That we may come to
Him with our minor afflictions also
shows us that we are not to wait
until some severe sickness or
calamity overtakes us. We may appeal
to Him at any time and in any matter
whatsoever.
“Is any merry?
Let him sing psalms.” There are
times when all is well and we feel
like singing. James advises us to
sing, but suggests that we sing
psalms. Singing releases pent-up
feelings and is an excellent way to
express our joy. However, James says
we should be careful what we
sing and calls our attention to
psalms as a safe way to express
ourselves and yet retain our hold
upon God. How often in an unguarded
moment, some little ditty comes to
mind, or a snatch of a catchy tune,
and before we are aware of what we
are doing, we are humming some
popular song not becoming to a
Christian. Paul’s advice is to
sing “with grace in your hearts
to the Lord, “ using
“psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs.” Colossians 3:16. After
having received many stripes and
being cast into prison, “at
midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and
sang praises unto God.” Acts
16:25. Singing praise to God is
acceptable under all circumstances
where song is called for.
“Is any sick
among you? Let him call for the
elders.” This does not refer to
a minor affliction as in verse 13,
but to a more serious condition. The
sick may already have prayed, but as
no relief comes he feels the need of
having others join him, and he calls
for the elders of the church.
By “elders”
are not here meant only the elected
elders of the church, but men of
experience in whom the sick have
confidence and who will gladly
respond when called upon. It is not
official position that qualifies
them, but an unction from on high,
faith, consecration, humility, godly
life, strict integrity, and a good
report from them that are without. If
they have official position, so much
the better; but this is not
necessary.
“Let him
call.” This statement indicates
that the sick initiates the call. It
must be his personal desire, and no
other pressure is to be brought on
him to have the elders called. It
must be of his own free will, and no
one else is to take the
responsibility to issue the call.
However, there be those who are to
sick to call, or who do not feel
worthy of having the elders come, or
who are too reticent to make their
wishes known. In such cases, it is
proper that others step in. In all
these matters let Christian tact and
courtesy be exercised.
We have known zealous
and well-meaning church members who
have asked the elders to come when
there was no call from the sick and
he was unaware of what was being
done. This may cause embarrassment
when he is unprepared for a visit.
The sick should first be consulted
and given time for preparation. The
same holds true of the elders. They
should be notified in time. Not all
may be ready to come on a
moment’s notice. At times, there
are necessary arrangements and
adjustments that must be made, as
well as counsel with the other
elders.
“Let them pray
over him.” This suggests the
little group of elders seeking God
together and praying for the sick.
The wording indicates that more than
one should pray. In its strict
interpretation, it would seem that
all should pray, but this is possible
only where the group is small and no
one prays at length. Long prayers, or
many prayers, are wearisome, do not
profit anyone, and might easily have
an adverse influence on the sick.
The Primary Question
Let no one think that
he will be heard because he prays
loud and long, or uses a “holy
tone” or whining voice different
from his usual manner of speaking.
Oratorical expressions, high-sounding
exclamations, pious platitudes,
affected play on the emotions, and
dictating to God has no place in
prayer.
Let prayers be offered
in simplicity and sincerity, with
deep, abiding faith in God and His
promises. There are occasions where
the Spirit of God takes full control
and hearts are melted. At such times
let no one interfere with God’s
workings. However, professional
emotions and easy tears are not to be
indulged in. Souls are at stake; a
life is hanging in the balance. Let
all be done with appropriate
solemnity and holy decorum.
We have stated
elsewhere that effective prayer must
be in accordance with God’s
will. It is therefore of the utmost
importance that the elders ascertain
what is the will of God in any
particular case. The paramount
question is not that of healing, but
the ascertainment of God’s will.
This means that the
elders should counsel and pray
together before they approach the
sick for prayer. Are all agreed that
the time has come for prayer?
Are all agreed that it is God’s
undoubted will that the sick be
healed? Is it His will that he be
healed now? Will it be
for God’s glory and for the good
of the sick? Has he learned the
lessons God has for him in this
sickness? Has he abstained from, or
does he now promise to abstain from,
every evil habit? Does God desire
instant healing, or will He use
nature’s slower way? Is it
possible that God may not think it
best to heal at all, but the time has
come for the sick to rest from his
labors and sleep until the Lord
comes? Is the sick willing to leave
all in the hands of God? Will he
cheerfully accept God’s way and
will? Is he ready to say, Thy will be
done?
Such preliminary
counsel and prayer among the elders
are necessary before they pray for
the sick. They need to pray for
themselves first. They need to come
into agreement among themselves in
regard to what they are to ask. Jesus
said, “If two of you shall agree
on earth as touching anything that
they shall ask, it shall be done for
them of My Father which is in
heaven.” Matthew 18:19. This
promise is not to be discounted. It
will be fulfilled, as are all other
promises of God.
However, this promise
must not be interpreted independently
of and apart from other statements of
Holy Writ. Every prayer to be heard
must be according to the will of God,
or the prayer will be in vain. It is
a solemn thing to pray for and anoint
the sick. It must not be done lightly
and without preparation on the part
of those who pray.
They must be in
harmony. The counsel and prayer of
the elders before they pray for the
sick is an important part of
God’s plan and must not be
omitted.
We cannot emphasize
too often that it is imperative for
all who pray and expect their prayers
to be answered, to pray according to
God’s will. We sometimes are so
anxious to have our will done that we
forget that God is wiser than we,
that however much we want a certain
thing, it may not be for the best,
and that God knows better than we do.
We are likely to command God to do
what we want done and forget that it
might do much harm if our prayers
were answered. It should be kept in
mind that there are times when God
lets us have our way to teach us a
lesson, as when Israel “lusted
exceedingly in the wilderness, and
tempted God in the desert. And He
gave them their request; but sent
leanness into their souls.”
Psalm 106:14,15. We must be
particularly careful in our prayers
for the sick lest we pray for what we
ought not too.
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