Faith in Action Bears Fruit

James 5:13-18 

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 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 sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Living for Christ by faith in action, working as we are called instead of working to be chosen, this is how we fulfill the two greatest commandments.  Therefore we pray when we encounter adversity with suffering or sickness, and together as a body rely on those God puts in servant-leadership roles by gifts and calling to teach and pray for us as well.  But the first verse in this passage also reminds us to sing praise to glorify God when we are cheerful as well, and we as a body should rejoice with them as much as we comfort in trouble (Romans 12:15).  The prayer of faith that restores is not only of the one suffering, but also is faith of those praying (Matthew 9:2, Mark 2:5) as we see here.  The elders are those called, gifted, and matured in Christ who take Him at His word, and so act and pray in humble reliance on Christ and His working (1 Peter 5:1-3); that is why they are to be called upon to pray for others.   Prayer for the sick also may involve confessing sins for forgiveness, though illness does not necessary result from sin as some teach to their own destruction by twisting of the truth (2 Peter 3:16).  We are to confess our sins we commit to each other to reconcile with one another for healing of our souls as we pray in faith without doubting (1 Timothy 2:8) as Elijah did for the rain to cease and resume again years later for God’s glory and man’s repentance (1 Kings 17:1, 18:37-44).  Faith in action bears fruit as we trust our Lord.