Biblical Teaching on Prayer
James 5:14-15
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Pondering Point
A straight-forward reading of these bible verses implies that sin and sickness can be tied together. It further implies that confessional prayer and physical wellness can be tied together.
Psalms 32 and 51 are great examples of this in the life of King David. Don’t let your body wallow in sickness. Don’t let your sins go unconfessed. And don’t be averse to letting your fellow disciples anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord. We are, after all, the hands and feet of Jesus – the Body of Christ.
Through them, you can experience Christ, your Good Shepherd, anointing your head with oil and enabling your cup to overflow, allowing goodness and love to follow you all the days of your life (see Psalm 23:5-6).
Psalm 23:5-6
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Prayer
Father God, teach me to respect the connection between physical and spiritual wellness. You desire total wellness in Your people, and I desire to let nothing keep me unhealthy physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, financially – all of which have some spiritual link. As the Psalmist wrote, so I pray: "See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:24).
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.