The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

James 5:13-20, “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.

14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish 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 earth for three years and six months.

18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

“It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples” (Lk. 11:1 NAU). Prayer has never been more needed than it is today! Yet, I suppose that thought has been circulated numerous times over the years.

James allows that some sicknesses occur because of sin. Who is to know whether sin is the cause of an illness? The elders of the church are to know! James alludes to the elders’ spiritual insight. The Holy Spirit awakens their insight, and they all pray for the one who is suffering.

I once knew a missionary who anointed someone with oil. When asked why he did so, his reply was: “That’s what the Bible says to do, and I had no other option.” Sounds right to me. Yet, in many instances, we’ve veered away from what Scripture says. Perhaps we need to start by confessing our own sin before we endeavor to help others.

James then cites Elijah. He was human just as we are. But when he prayed, the LORD responded mightily! If we would see answers to prayer, we must be men and women of prayer. We would do well to remember James’ admonition: “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” – much in our lives, much in our homes, much in our churches!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

Until He becomes all that we have.”

— Corrie ten Boom