A Pattern for Healing

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.

—James 5:14



I believe that God heals today. We know He has miraculously built into the human body a natural process in which it heals over time. But I believe God can quicken the healing process. I also believe that He can do a miracle when we have been told there is no hope. I have seen so many of these myself. God promises His healing touch and tells us that by His stripes we are healed. So, we should ask God to heal us when we are facing sickness.



In James 5, we are given the scriptural pattern for healing: “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.”



It is interesting that Bible does not say, “Is anyone among you sick? Then go find a faith healer.” I am not suggesting that miracles didn’t take place in the early church, because indeed they did. I am not saying that healing was not done by faith, because it was. My point is that it was never the focus of the apostles. The early church did not follow signs and wonders; signs and wonders followed them. This is an important distinction.



We can go to God and ask Him to heal. I thank God that healing is available to us today. But we make a mistake when we focus on phenomenon. Instead, we should focus on the proclamation of God’s Word and leave the miracles, the healings, and the rest up to God to do as He sovereignly chooses.