James 5:13-20. ESV
What do you do when you don’t know what to do?
Pray.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
James 5:13, ESV
Prayers of faith:
Conversation- “Suffering” _distress/ hardship_.
Praise- “Cheerful” _take heart_.
Discipline
- God doesn’t need me to pray.- I need to pray.
- Prayer transfers the burdens I can’t carry, to God, who can carry them.
- Prayer is not what I have to do, it is what I get to do.
- Since God is already present just invite Him in my journey.
Verbal process
God is “Heavenly Father”
When Jesus came to planet Earth, He changed our understanding of God.
“Father” is a reference to God:
- 15 times in the Old Testament = national title and impersonal.
- Jesus identifies God as “Father” 165 times = Individual and relational.
“Father”
Protector, provider, wisdom, cares, loves, strong, listens and communicates. And yes, corrects.
Tough _for_ me and Tender _with_ me.
Why do we sing praises and songs of worship every Sunday at W.C.C.?
- Singing is _praying in agreement_.
- Singing is _emotional_ and _relational_ healing.
- Singing is a _praise party_.
- Singing is a _filtering process_.
Healing- “Sick” _without strength/ debilitating.
V 14, 15
14 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. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
—
Since Jesus is in heaven, the Great Physician, is there still the potential for healing on earth today?
Opinions about faith healing:
- God wants to heal all sickness
- God uses sickness for His purpose.
- Blame the devil for sickness.
- Gift of healing.
False teachings:
- God use to heal.
- God must heal if you do something.
Truth:
God can heal, so lets _ask_ and _seek_ him.
All healing comes from God.
- natural & supernatural
- medical & miraculous
8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured.
Acts 28: 8-9, ESV