Prayer (James 5:13-18)

It is easy to get bogged down in passages like this one. What is the process, exactly, to have one’s prayers answered in the way one wants? Do I need to go buy some oil? Does it need to be olive oil, or will any do? Where can I find a perfect elder? 

One rule of thumb is to never build any elaborate doctrine from a single, or even a pair, or obscure texts. When people get caught up in the more unusual elements of the end of James, that is one thing they are soing. The New Testament almost never mentions any kind of oil anointing. Only here and one other place. And neither constitute anything like a clear teaching. But the other thing people do who major on the monirs here, is miss the main point. 

James concludes his epistle exhorting people to go to God. To talk to Him. To pray. When you have struggles or hard times (as he started the letter talking about): pray. When things are going well: pray. (Or praise, which can be another way to talk to God.). When you are sick. When you have struggles. When someone you know is dealing with sin. When the church has any problem. Pray. Pray. Pray. 

And, yes, prayer can accomplish a lot. It is, after all talking to—having a friendship with—the Creator of the Universe. The omnipotent God of creation. It stands to reason that our circumstances can change when we go to God. More importantly, regardless of how closely the outcomes resembles our wishes, going to God with what is on your mind is never a bad thing to do!