8/1/14: Healer of the Sick

James, our Lord’s brother, knew all about Jesus both as his natural relative and as the Savior. The unique perspective James gives in his epistle shows Jesus’ ways to be quite practical. When speaking of prayer, James says, “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 (NKJ).

Simply put, James tells us that when we’re sick, we ought to go to God in prayer and we ought to take others with us. Once we ask in the name of the Lord, the Lord will move on behalf of the one needing help. How encouraging and how practical!

Over and over again while traveling around with Jesus, James saw this played out. People were sick; they went to Jesus. Some were so sick that they couldn’t get to Jesus on their own, so their parents or friends either took them or sought Jesus out on their behalf. No matter what the illness—physical, spiritual, or mental—the result was the same; taking the problem to Jesus meant He made a difference in the life of the sick person.

Are you hurting? Go to Jesus with the problem and take some friends along. Do you know people who are hurting? Take them to Jesus or go to Him on their behalf. Don’t give up. Be encouraged with the knowledge that your prayers as one of God’s righteous ones are extremely effective. In other words, God is listening. He hears. He touches. He heals. Worship God today as Healer of the Sick.

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©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

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