I'm a little confused. Lets read the last chapter of James together, okay? Okay.
It says starting with verse 13 here:
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is any one happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced its crops.
My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Okay. That's a lot, but it's all truth. It's all the word of God. There are some things that I am wondering about, wondering how we miss so much. (I am not trying to be mean by the way.) I am no expert, there is just a question here. And you know what my current feelings are about experts anyway? Well, they might have gone to school to learn about these things, and yes in many ways they do understand in their heads further than my learning has brought me, but let us also remember that those of us who have chosen to follow Christ have His Spirit within our being. Does he not know more than any scholar ever could dream of knowing? Okay then. So when He speaks to my heart I have no fear of speaking about it anymore because I know that He lives in me. He will bring clarity and keep my path straight because I am seeking Him. I am seeking His truth, not just what fits my desires.
Okay, you will have to be patient with this girl. There is far too much going on all over the place and I can't help it. I am brimming with so much that I cannot keep straight in my speech and I'm surprised it all comes out somewhere near coherent.
There are so many huge things there, but I guess that's what scripture is and why God makes certain parts stick out to us at certain points. Like the fact that Elijah was a man just like us...we just won't go there cause there is too much. My confusion lies in the first paragraph. Pray when you are in trouble. Got it. Praise when you are happy. Got it. Then it gets to this part about sickness. Go read that again real quick.
Call on the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.
Um, so am I reading that wrong? Because it seems to me that we should have a lot more healing in the church if this is true. It doesn't say, if their sickness is small enough...if it's just a cold or something. Which, by the way, I am not sure that many of us really go to God for healing with those things either. It doesn't give ifs there. It just says that the Lord will heal them. So that leads me to believe that perhaps our prayers are not prayed with faith. And I will be honest, my prayers lack faith a lot of times. Faith isn't something you can conjure up either. It's something GIVEN by the grace of God in my opinion. So are we praying for faith? And when He gives us situations to build up our faith, are we listening? Seriously, there is so much stuff that really doesn't match up when I read the New Testament.
I don't know. Maybe I am really confused and I don't get the context or the original language or something. I am willing and ready to be wrong. Please tell me where my confusion lies and I will listen and pray about it. I am serious about that. I am learning so much right now and I want to know truth. I want nothing to hold me back from living in all that God has called me to. And if none of you have the answer and I am still wrong none the less, then I know that God will clarify in this soul. I just want to speak the things that I am wondering about because perhaps you wonder the same things too. Perhaps you feel like in so many ways we are missing the awesome stuff that Jesus had planned for us. Perhaps you agree that our fears and worries are living in the wrong places and that we really should not have them at all. The things that hold us back should have no power over a follower of the risen Lord. Why are we fumbling like we are in darkness when we have been filled with the light of men?
Just my little question. I know that this may not mean much to many of you because you might be far past the place where I am right now, but I know that there are others living in this unfulfilled Christian life. I don't want any of us to live there anymore! I want us to all live the in the full blessing of Christ and be filled with His LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, GOODNESS, KINDNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF CONTROL. This is what is seen more abundantly in our lives as evidence that the Spirit is in control of us.
I know at least that to be true.
Fill me more each day Jesus. Fill me with your love.
Nobody Knows
6 years ago
6 comments:
Due to family history, I strongly disagree with the "if someone isn't healed it's due to a lack of faith" philosophy. God has many different reasons for choosing to heal (or not heal) someone.
I wrote about it last year (before you started reading): http://vickymarie.blogspot.com/2008/02/enough-faith.html
Thanks for this comment because it made me realize that I wasn't very clear. I am not saying that God doesn't have reason for NOT healing people and He uses those times for lots of reasons. There are times that we have illness for His glory and will.
I just said that we should be seeing more of it than we do. And really, I went with the sickness part, but all of it is kind of the same in my question. We could have taken the troubled part instead (it's just not as easy to see the results of that because it's more personal).
So...what does that verse mean then? I don't know, like I said. And by the way, I am not talking about some crazy stuff you would see on certain television stations =). Just saying...
I BELIEVE in miracles ... and I am praying, IN FAITH, that God will give his healing touch to precious Comfort in Africa.
God may heal her completely. God may choose to use the doctors once she gets home to America. Or, God may choose to take her home to heaven before we can get her home to America. Scary thought ... but I am prepared for that, if it is His will.
Please join us in prayer for this precious little girl.
Laurel
Thank you for coming to my blog from Mck....and thank you for your prayers as well...I have seen reece's rainbow, and there are so many children, it DOES tug at your heart for sure!! We feel led to domestic adoption and are trying to find the agency God wants us at...which is proving to be quite the task, hard to find good Christian agencies in our area...anyways I will stop rambling...I hope to see you around again!! :)
FAITH...It seems to be one of the biggest lessons to learn in life.
Trusting God is not always easy, it is a bumpy road with lots of hills and valleys. Sometimes we are strong travelers and sometimes we grow weary. That's when others who are feeling strong help us along. Reminding us that with God nothing is impossible.
Just my humble opinion.
Shine on!
Hey, I finally found the right button, so I could leave a comment!
I love your questions. You have a seeking heart. The Lord said, "Seek and you shall find." Keep seeking, keep asking. He will reveal much to you with that humbleness of heart that you have.
The area of praying for the sick and seeing healing is an area that we have noted a lack in the church as well. One thing that we have begun in the last few years is to pray about all illnesses. Even sniffles. God can heal cancer, and He can heal sniffles, and everything in between. Another thing it says in James is that we don't have because we don't ask. We've started asking. We also thank the Lord for whatever illness we are facing. Yes, I said thank Him for a cold or for a headache or whatever. He said to do it. It seems to release His power to work in our lives, and reminds us that He loves us, He's in control, and what He allows is for our good.
There's also the possibility of enemy attack or open doors from sin.
Hmm...there's a lot that could be said on this topic. Maybe we could talk in person. I'm in the middle of painting my living room, so I can't really give a good in-depth opinion (notice I didn't say answer, 'cause I don't have one). Back to the mess...
Blessings to you!! We'll talk soon. :)
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