April 21 Daily Devotional

Scripture for Day 111—James 5:14–16

¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Devotional:

Notice that the prayer of faith is specifically in the name of Jesus Christ. "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." There is only one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through him. The prayer of faith is repentant and trusts Christ alone for forgiveness and access to God.

Our Lord Jesus' promises summon you to expect great things as you pray in his name.

* John 14:13–14 — "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."

* John 15:16 — "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."

* John 16:23-24 — "Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

"Anointing him with oil" is not some sort of magical ritual to get God to do what we want. Nor is it the oil that heals. Contrary to what we sometimes hear, "oil" does not allude to the use of medicine. That should be done, but so should this. "Anointing … with oil" specially sets people apart to the Lord for healing. The same term is used in Mark 6:13 — "And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them." God's emphasis is not on any power in the oil, but rather on the power of the Lord.

Turn your trust away from yourself or any created thing and pray in faith. "And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (v. 15). "The prayer of faith"—that phrase explicitly brings us back to the theme that permeates the epistle—faith in Christ.

Click here for background on the author of Are You For Real?: Meditations in the Epistle of James for Secret or Family Worship.