“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
LIGHT FOR NOW: The best view of God the believer can have is the view of God that is situated in Christ.
The prayer of faith means to receive the prayer as we’ve seen in the course of this studies. This implies that it is not the elders who prayed for the sick that determine if the prayer or request is “a prayer of faith” but the sick who should expect to be healed. He is the one who needs to be healed and hence, should receive in prayer – which is the “prayer of faith”. Back to the question: In James 5:14-16, who prayed/prays the prayer of faith? As believers, we pray primarily for people in tongues. We pray in the spirit.
Praying in the spirit is praying in tongues. 1Corinthians 14:2 “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries”. 1Corinthians 14:13-14 “Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful”. When we pray in the spirit, we pray the will of God. James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him”. Notice that James makes no mention of faith as a requirement in asking of God. God’s character is such that he cannot find fault. He does not look for a reason not to give. God’s character is such that he is a giving God. There are no conditions attached to his giving; hence, he gives to all men liberally. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Know who God is!
CONFESSION: I know God in Christ; He is consistent in character in all his ways. He is good all the time and all the time he is good, in Jesus name, Amen.
QUOTE: A singular view of God founded in Christ is the best view of God.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: JAMES CHAPTER 1; EVENING: JAMES CHAPTER 5
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 