Meditation

Hi there,

Copying this out, I was struck by how abrupt the ending of this letter is. It lacks any formal conventions at the end. There are no personal updates or travel plans or individual greetings or a final benediction that is typical of Paul's letters.

It seems to suddenly stop in full flow.

This is consistent with the letter as a whole, which moves rapidly from one practical topic to another: trials, wealth, speech, faith, and prayer, without any transitional arguments or bridges.​

Throughout the series, I've been pairing the verses from James with short verses from the book of Proverbs, emphasizing how James really is a collection of concise exhortations on how faith should function in daily life.

The letter ends as it began, directly and succinctly.

David Guzik's talk on these verses, which I've linked here and below, is helpful for outlining the key takeaways.

Today's verses are James 5:17-20. Yesterday's verses are provided in grey for context.

The Prayer of Faith

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.​

¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

¹⁷ Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸ Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

​¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Encouragement

²⁹ The Lord is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

Proverbs 15:29

​Andy

God's Word In Your Hand

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David Guzik's Enduring Word is a great resource for anyone wanting to work through the Bible verse by verse. This talk on today’s verses is very helpful as a complement to today’s copy work.

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