Are
any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You
should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the
church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the
Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make
you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. James 5:13-15
Meditate.
Consider God’s guidance in scripture. Read God’s word and listen to what He is
saying.
Was
James realistic? Are any of you suffering hardships? Are any of you happy?
Are any of you sick? Ha! Everyone at one time or another suffers, is sick,
or is happy. I’ve heard people say that everyone is either in a traumatic
situation, has just come out of a traumatic situation, or is headed for a
traumatic situation soon. What stage of this condition are you in today?
Pray. Believe in the
power of the Lord…and pray. James suggests the elders of the church pray and
anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord. Anointing with oil is discussed
several times for rituals in the Old Testament and briefly in the New
Testament. Here are a couple of examples. This first one is a classic from Psalm
23 that guides us through many of life’s difficulties.
-
You
prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing
my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Psalm 23:5
-
Then
Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the Tabernacle and everything in it,
making them holy. He sprinkled the oil on the altar seven times, anointing it
and all its utensils, as well as the washbasin and its stand, making them holy.
Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head, anointing him and
making him holy for his work.
Leviticus 8:10-12
-
And
they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with
olive oil. Mark
6:13
Have you ever been anointed with
oil…or anointed a fellow believer with oil in prayer? On one of our trips to
Israel, our pastor gave each couple a bottle of anointing oil and encouraged us
to pray and anoint our fellow travelers, as well as family and friends when we
returned home. Oil is representative of the Holy Spirit. In rituals at the
altar and for the priests, oil purifies and makes things and people holy. This
continues, as we see in the Mark scripture, that people were purified, made
holy, or “healed” when they were anointed with olive oil. Olive oil is
the basis of the anointing oil blended with aromatic spices. Today some pastors
use plain olive oil—consecrated for that purpose. Moses received a definite recipe
for the anointing oil that the LORD wanted him to prepare specifically for the preparation
of the Tabernacle, the priests, and the utensils used in their rituals.
Prayer oil
Then
the LORD said to Moses, "Collect choice spices—12 1/2 pounds of pure
myrrh, 6 1/4 pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6 1/4 pounds of fragrant calamus, and
12 1/2 pounds of cassia—as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also
get one gallon of olive oil. Like a skilled incense maker, blend these
ingredients to make a holy anointing oil.” Exodus 30:22-25
Does praying with oil anointing
make the person or situation holy? God established procedures for the
Israelites and their rituals to become holy—and that included olive oil. Set
aside a small bottle of olive oil just for your personal use in anointing with
prayer. God wants us to be holy…because He is holy.
For I am the LORD your God. You
must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. So do not defile
yourselves with any of these small animals that scurry along the ground. For I,
the LORD, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt, that I might be
your God. Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy. Leviticus 11:44-45
Are you
holy? Do you pray in faith expecting an answer? Trust in the Lord.
Prayer
– Lord God, I humbly consecrate myself that I may be holy…as You are holy. I
pray that You would heal those who need Your healing touch…and may it be an
eternal healing for those who are close to the end of physical life here. Grant
us all your peace, strength, and endurance as we need it. Thank you for the
blessings You give us…and all that we need here on earth.
Verse
of Salvation ~ (As
stated during Abraham’s blessings of his sons before his death.) I trust in
you for salvation, O LORD! Genesis 49:18
© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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