“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.” – James 5:14
To follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we must minister to the sick. There are at least four ways to do so.
1. Pray from a distance.
Jesus healed from a distance at least three times in the Gospels. (Mark 7:24-30 cf. Matthew 15:21-28; Matthew 8:5-13 cf. Luke 7:1-10; John 4:46-54) Sometimes, Jesus would travel to be present to heal someone. Other times, He would pray from a distance, and the person would be healed. Whether we are present or not, if the Holy Spirit is present with the suffering person, there is a possibility of healing.
2. Lay hands on people and pray.
Laying hands on sick people to pray for them was part of Jesus’ earthly ministry (Luke 4:40; Matthew 9:18), and it is part of local church ministry. (James 5:14) One deliverance manual says, “Just as power lies in the hand of God (Hab. 3:4), it also lies in the hands of His servants (Acts 5:12; 19:11). There is tremendous power released through anointed, holy hands.” (1)
3. Anoint people with oil.
Jesus anointed people with oil and expects the Church to do the same (Mark 6:13; James 5:14-15). Oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit, who anoints us for ministry. By praying and anointing with oil, we are showing with our words and works that we invite God’s presence into the situation to minister to the hurting person.
4. Minister in faith.
If Jesus were walking on earth today, hurting people would flock to Him. Just because Jesus is in the Kingdom does not mean we cannot approach Him, since, by faith, we can and do approach Him to heal in our realm from His realm. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
In each of the following healing miracles we will look at the rest of this week into next, we witness people interceding for others to Jesus Christ. We do the same when we pray for the sick in faith.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s devo where Jesus heals a nobleman’s sick son.
Is there someone you know who is sick right now? Take some time to intercede on their behalf for healing and restoration.
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