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This week I am a day behind in writing. The day I usually do my studying in preparation to write, I ended up with a new and different severe pain making it difficult to do anything that day or the next. I went to the chiropractor twice the first day, and then my general practitioner the next for something to help with the pain. I texted my four close friends that I’ve known for multiple decades to pray.
Next, I had to let the couple that helps us with youth group know that I wouldn’t be there. The wife asked if she could tell a few other ladies from church, so they could pray for me too. I was hesitant. I know these ladies care about me, would want to know, and would pray for me. At the same time, I don’t like to share my suffering with very many people. As long as I know a few are praying with and for me, I’m okay. But James challenged my thinking. He taught that we should pray, we should sing songs of praise, and we should ask others to pray for us. People can’t help us if we don’t tell them there is a need.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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.[1]
James 5:13-14
Let’s take a look at the three directives James gives his readers. First: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” Suffering is the same Greek word James used in verse 10, using the Old Testament prophets as an example of suffering and patience. Previously, he exhorted his readers to count it all joy when they met trials because the testing of their faith produced steadfastness, which having its full effect would make them perfect, complete, and lacking nothing (vs 1:2-4).
We don’t know if James had a specific kind of suffering in mind. It may have been oppression by the rich (vs 1-6 or persecution, but it could also have been other trials, illness (vs 14-15), or natural disasters. Whatever the form of suffering, the first response is to pray. In Paul’s teaching regarding the armor of God, he wrote: “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18a). And he exhorted the Thessalonians to: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Throughout the Psalms we read of David and others crying out to God in their suffering. Prayer should not be an afterthought or something we try when all else has failed. Going to God should be the first thing we do. Talk to God. Be honest with your feelings and thoughts. Petition Him repeatedly (Luke 18:1-8). Pray expectantly with faith (vs 15) because you know to Whom you are praying.
God is our loving Father. He wants us to come to Him. He is omniscient and has all wisdom. He knows what is right and best in your suffering. He knows the best timing and the best means. He is omnipotent. Nothing is impossible with Him. Whatever His will is in your suffering, He can accomplish it. He is faithful. He will walk with you through it. He’s given you His Holy Spirit to indwell you and guide you. He is sovereign over your suffering.
When some of Jesus’ followers turned back from walking with Him, Jesus asked the disciple, “Do you want to go away as well? Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:66-68). Yes, there may be other people and resources God will use to help us persevere in our suffering, but our mindset should be like Peter’s. In Jesus, we have all that we need, so turn to God and pray. God may or may not deliver you from your suffering, but you can pray for strength to faithfully endure the suffering. God hears you. He draws near to you. He answers you.
Second: “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” Cheerful can mean to be in good spirits, gladdened, or to be joyful. We know this is possible even in times of suffering. Twice Paul exhorted those with him in a shipwreck to take heart. He reminded them of things they had to be thankful for in the shipwreck. And Paul had faith in God to act (Acts 27:22-25). Joy is rooted in who God is, what He has done, and what He will do as revealed in Scripture – truths that circumstances can’t alter.
For those who choose joy regardless of their circumstances because their trust is in God, the right response is to sing praise. Sing is in the present tense. We are to sing praise to God daily not just on Sundays. As we noted above, we are to rejoice continually. Sing praise to God for every blessing, every day. Paul and Silas were able to pray and sing hymns while locked up in jail. Their circumstances didn’t prevent them from singing praise.
Douglas Moo offers an insight on singing praise: “The word he uses, psallō, is easily recognized as related to our English ‘psalm’. Taken from a Greek word that designated a kind of harp, the word was used in the Septuagint to describe certain types of songs, especially songs of praise. This singing in praise was closely related to prayer (cf. 1 Cor. 14:15); indeed, it can be regarded as a form of prayer.”[2]
Third: “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” (vs 14). Sick here can mean weak. Whether this is weakness from suffering (vs 13) or weakness as part of an illness, James tells the sick to take the initiative and call for the elders[3] of their church.
The elders are to “pray over” the sick person. This is the only place the Greek word epi is used, so exact meaning is not known. It may signify laying hands on the sick or a physical posture when praying for the sick.
James adds: “anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” Again, it isn’t clear what James means, and this verse has been interpreted in a variety of ways. This phrase was used only one other time in the New Testament (Mark 6:13). Mark also relates that oil was used to anoint the sick, but just as in James, there are no further details. Although certain oils were used for ailments (Luke 10:34), if this was the meaning, then why do the elders need to be called? Others could apply healing oil. Also, there is no evidence for anointing oil specifically being used for any medical issues. There were many different illnesses. Why highlight only one remedy?
The other meaning is spiritual, a symbolic act. Anointing with oil in the Old Testament often symbolized the consecration and setting apart of a person for service to God. Douglas Moo clarifies this understanding[4]: “As the elders prayed, they would anoint the sick person in order to symbolize that that person was being ‘set apart’ for God’s special attention and care… It is best, then, to view James’ anointing as a physical action with symbolic significance.”[5]
Daniel Doriani’s explanation is also helpful: “Anointing is neither magical nor sacramental, but it is quasi-sacramental. Like other solemn ceremonies such as weddings or ordinations, the ceremony makes us pause so that we take the action seriously. The ceremony can arouse faith.”[6]
The anointing with oil is done “in the name of the Lord.” It is not the oil or even the elders that have power. God alone has the power to heal.[7]
We may not fully understand what James intends for the use of anointing oil, but that’s ok. The anointing oil is not the focus. Prayer is. The suffering, and the sick should honestly bring their needs to their elders and pastor. Ask for prayer. Elders don’t know to pray for a need if they don’t know there is a need.
James specifically states in our passage to call for the elders to pray. This does not mean that we can’t ask others to pray as well. Paul instructed the Galatian church to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and he asked both the Ephesian and Thessalonian churches to pray for him (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2; Ephesians 6:18-20). James himself told his readers to “confess your sins to one another and pray for another” (vs 16). One of the four characteristics of the early church was prayer (Acts 2:42). Being part of the body of Christ is praying for each other as well as sharing how others can pray for us, and together praising God for His daily blessings.
Reflection
1. In your suffering, are you more prone to complain or pray? How does focusing on “God is…” truths bolster you to pray with faith?
2. How often do you ask others to pray for you? Are you honest about your need? Why or why not?
3. Are you daily praising God for every blessing in suffering as well as good circumstances? If not, how can you cultivate daily praise and gratitude?
4. Who is a personal example of someone who prays with faith and faithfully prays? Why? How has it encouraged or challenged you?
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jas 5:13–14.
[2] Douglas J. Moo, James: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 181.
[3] Spiritually mature men overseeing the church (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).
[4] For a detailed explanation of the related Greek words aleiphō and chriō, see Douglas Moo’s commentary listed below.
[5] Douglas J. Moo, James: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 184.
[6] Daniel M. Doriani, James, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2007), 194.
[7] It is not wrong to seek medical help, but we should do so seeking God first. God is always the one behind the healing whether He heals directly or through a medical means. And sometimes, His good purpose isn’t to heal but to sustain us through the suffering or sickness.
A prayer for those who are suffering from Every Moment Holy Volume II.
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