The Sunday School Lesson

JAS. 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

14 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:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16 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.

17 E-li'as was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

HEART OF THE LESSON

To some extent, all of the world's problems come from failing to follow godly advice. This week's verses are applicable to believers in every walk of life and encourage good spiritual health.

1. Situations and suggestions (Jas. 5:13- 15). In a way, the book of James is similar to the book of Proverbs, where godly wisdom is applied to diverse aspects of life. Notice that in these three verses, James dealt with two negative situations- affliction and sickness-but considered happy times as well. There is a godly way to behave in all kinds of situations, whether bad or good.

The affliction being spoken of in James 5:13 refers to suffering due mainly to one's faith in Christ. The Greek word used here is also used in verse 10 in reference to the persecution and hostility the prophets of old endured. in our sanctified perspective, we could say that James's advice - pray - is only too obvious. Nevertheless, how many of us get

discouraged when we encounter affliction and think only about how wrong other people are? Instead of telling our problem to God, we often wallow in self-pity and wonder why we are so unlucky. While the exhortation to pray seems to be a simplistic instruction, obviously it is really needed.

The next bit of advice regarding happiness and merriment is important today because it may actually present one of the worst pitfalls for many believers in America. The problem is not happiness itself but rather the natural tendency to indulge ourselves when we feel good and thus forget God. Everything we enjoy in life comes from the hand of God. When we come to pleasant times in life, we should keep ourselves on track spiritually by directing our thoughts to the Lord and thanking Him for His goodness to us. What better way to do this than to sing and make "melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19)?

Anyone in the church who became physically sick was encouraged not to view it solely as a matter for medicine and doctors. Certainly they have their place and should not be rejected, but James's godly wisdom advises believers to consider illness a spiritual matter that should involve the spiritual leaders of the church. If the church elders anointed the infirm with oil (commonly used medicinally) and prayed over them, the focus would naturally be turned to the Lord, the One who ultimately holds all healing power. This might also help the sick examine their lives and repent of any sin.

2. Power and prayer (Jas. 5:16-18). In connection with the Previous situation of a sick person confessing sin, James went on to encourage all believers to be willing to confess their sins to each other and pray for their brothers and sisters in Christ. This Promotes spiritual healing in the body of Christ.

Having believers in the church who are spiritually healthy is very important because they have the spiritual strength to accomplish a great deal through prayer. A significant example of this is the Prophet Elijah. Through prayer he brought desperate times on apostate Israel. For three and a half years, God withheld the rain because of Elijah's request. Not only that, but God also heeded the prayer of Elijah when he asked for the rains to return. God is not obligated to do everything His children ask, but we know that He is pleased to fulfill those requests that are in line with His will.

Let us work to keep each other spiritually healthy. Then our prayers, like Elijah's, will be powerful and effective.

(Reprinted by permission of The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society and Union Gospel Press, P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio, 44101)