In James chapter 5, we are told that continuous prayer should be the hallmark of a believer's life. In presenting that lesson, James gives us three scenarios in which our response should be to pray: in affliction, in cheerfulness, and in sickness. While most people tend to pray more while in affliction, most of us neglect prayer when life is good, but that is when our prayers should be prayers of praise. The third scenario, in sickness, presents the most challenging application, as the sick are told to call the elders of the church to pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick. But what is this sickness? Physical or spiritual? And is the anointing with oil something that is done literally, or just symbolically in prayer? And does God always heal when we obey in faith? These questions have been debated by theologians for centuries, but the answers may be found in understanding what the "prayer of faith" truly is. |