God's Power to HealExemplo

Overcoming Impediments to Healing

The remedy for the three impediments to healing is revealed in Scripture:

Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 

—James 5:14–16, NLT

Notice the factors mentioned here that open the door to healing: prayer and anointing, repentance and confession. Notice, too, the importance of relationships within the community of believers. If you’re sick and in need of healing, then ask the elders of your church to pray over you and anoint you with oil. Confess your sins to one another and lift up your brothers and sisters in prayer, calling upon the name of the Lord for His healing power. When you turn to God, forgive others as well as yourself, and believe in the power of His Spirit, you know that you will be healed! 

Easier said than done, right? I know having this kind of faith in the power of God to heal you is no small thing. When we suffer injury, betrayal, pain, and emotional anguish in life, we’re tempted to see ourselves as victims rather than victors in Christ Jesus. Our suffering feels so powerful and immediate that we struggle to see how we can go on. But that’s just it—we can’t go on unless we rely on God’s power! We may never make sense of our life’s losses and sad events, but we don’t have to understand them when we place our faith in the Lord.