October 6
“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. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much,” James 5:14-16.
The apostle James gives special attention to the care of the sick. His first instruction is to the person who is sick. He asks the person to call for the elders of the church and inform them of his or her sickness. Today, we would say, “Please inform your pastor when you are ill.”
The elders were then instructed to give physical and spiritual care to the sick person. “Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” It was common in those days for the Jews to apply or anoint the sick person with olive oil. It was believed to have a healing power. Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan: He bandaged the wounds of the Jew who was beaten by thieves and left to die. The Good Samaritan applied oil and wine to heal the wounds. He did what was customary in those days.
James says nothing about anointing with oil to prepare the sick person for death, which is erroneously taught as being a sacrament by the church of Rome.
The primary reason for visiting the sick is to pray and give spiritual comfort to the suffering person. There are many Psalms and other portions of Scripture that have a special word of comfort. The Lord says through the psalmist, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me,” Psalm 50:15. The Lord Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened,” Matthew 7:7-8. “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
God promises to hear and answer our prayers on behalf of others. “Pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Often, when people are sick, they add to their grief by worrying. Remember the words of Peter, “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you,” 1 Peter 5:7, and the words of Paul, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God,” Philippians 4:6.
When an individual is sick, it is also a time to speak of God’s love and the forgiveness of sins. “If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another.” God’s love and forgiveness are assured to us through the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us from sin, death, and the power of the devil. When Jesus spoke to the paralyzed man, His first words were, “Son, your sins are forgiven you,” Mark 2:5.
“What God ordains is always good;
His will abideth holy.
As He directs my life for me,
I follow, meek and lowly.
My God indeed in every need
Doth well know how to shield me;
To Him, then, I will yield me.
What God ordains is always good;
He is my Friend and Father.
He suffers naught to do me harm,
Tho’ many storms may gather.
Now I may know both joy and woe;
Someday I shall see clearly
That He hath loved me dearly.” Amen.