A Daily Devotional

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Let Them Pray

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. . . . Is any sick among you? 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: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:13–15).

This familiar passage is a difficult one. Many suffering Christians have tried in all sincerity to follow the instructions given here, yet have not been healed. This may be because the promise has a specific, rather than general, application.

First, “is anyone afflicted?” This word means “troubled,” referring especially to persecution or deprivation. For such a person, the admonition is: “Let him pray.” Assuming that he is right with God, and is praying in His will (I John 5:14,15), he can expect either the needed relief or the needed grace.

Secondly: “Is any sick?” Here the Greek word actually refers to physical illness. However, the context shows that this particular sickness has come specifically “since (the true connotation of ‘if’) he have committed sins.” The remedy is for such a person to call for the church elders (not the reverse), and “let them pray” (after he has first openly confessed and repented of his sins) in faith, anointing him with oil. Then the promise is that, if the elders themselves have faith and are right with God, the Lord will forgive his sins and raise him up.

Furthermore, their prayer of faith will “save the sick.” The Greek word in this case means “wearied,” rather than “ill,” and it tells us that the sinner has been delivered from the heavy burden of guilt which had wearied his soul, as well as the illness which had weakened his body. There are other reasons for illness besides unrepented sin, but this is a wonderful promise of both spiritual and physical healing when sin is the problem.

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Ashamed Of The Lord

--��Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God--�? (II Timothy 1:.

This exhortation of Paul follows immediately upon his assertion that --��God hath not given us the spirit of fear--�? (II Timothy 1:7). Thus, any Christian who is afraid to give a clear testimony for the Lord, or who is unwilling to support those who may be suffering because of their testimony (Paul was in a Roman dungeon when he wrote these words), did not receive such a spirit of fear from God.

A courageous, uncompromising stand for the truth, even in the face of ridicule and persecution, characterized the early Christians, who rejoiced --��that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name--�? (Acts 5:41). On the other hand, pride is such a besetting sin of human nature, and peer pressure so intimidating, that most Christians today-whether Christian intellectuals on the campus being pressured to compromise with evolution, or Christian laborers confronted with dishonesty and vile language on the job, or Christian teen-agers being urged to partake of drugs and sex-either yield to the pressure or retreat in silence.

We need to remember the words of Christ: --��Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels--�? (Mark 8:38).

The Apostle Paul, suffering in prison and soon to be executed, still could say: --��Nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed--�? (II Timothy 1:12). God gives us --��power and love and a sound mind--�?-not the spirit of fear! Therefore, we can well afford to be partakers of the gospel--��s afflictions, by the power of God.

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Does God Dwell In Temples?


“But Solomon built Him an house. Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands” (Acts 7:47,48).

Scripture teaches that the Creator God could not be confined to a man-made temple, but it is also true that the temple in Jerusalem was indeed the house of God. God, Himself, had even stated that “For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually” (II Chronicles 7:16). Of course, there is no real conflict. God implies that this place would enjoy His special attention, favor, and Name, but He never claimed it as a dwelling place.

Solomon even recognized this. He said, “Who is able to build Him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Him?” (II Chronicles 2:6).

Today, God dwells in many temples, but they are not made with hands either. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? . . . the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (I Corinthians 3:16,17). Likewise, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?” (I Corinthians 6:19), and “ye are the temple of the living God” (II Corinthians 6:16).

Not only is each individual believer the temple of God, but the corporate body of believers, the church, enjoys the same standing. Speaking of the melding of Jewish and Gentile believers into one body, Paul teaches that each believer is a stone in “the building fitly framed together (which) groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21). As individual building stones, we are “fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:19,20).

The sanctuary of the living God is not a temple or a church auditorium, but hearts yielded to Him.

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Grace And The Law


“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

Some have argued that the Old Testament God was rigid and legalistic, whereas the God of the New Testament is a God of grace and love. But “Jesus Christ (is) the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:.

The word for “grace” (Hebrew chen) occurs at least 68 times in the Old Testament, and “gracious” and “graciously” some 98 times. The related attributes of “mercy” and “lovingkindness” (Hebrew chesed) are mentioned over 200 times. The Old Testament is abundantly supplied with references to these supposedly New Testament concepts.

It is significant that the first mentions of “grace” and “graciously” in the Bible refer to the grace of God, rather than to any human grace. In the first instance, it is said that even in a world of universal wickedness, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:, and God saved him and his family through the terrible judgment of the Flood. Then Jacob, the father of the children of Israel (to whom God eventually revealed the law through Moses), spoke of his children as gifts of God’s grace, testifying to his brother Esau of “the children which God hath graciously given thy servant” (Genesis 33:5).

Even the law was given in grace and truth to the people whom God had chosen in grace, as the psalmist indicated when he prayed: “Grant me thy law graciously. I have chosen the way of truth” (Psalm 119:29,30).

It is significant that the last reference to “grace” in the Old Testament refers to the salvation of all the children of Israel, when they see finally Jesus as He really is. “I will pour upon the house of David, . . . the Spirit of grace. . . : and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him. . .” (Zechariah 12:10).

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Strength And Grace And Glory


“They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God” (Psalm 84:7).

The Christian life should never be a stagnant life, satisfied with the spiritual status quo. It should be a life of continued growth and progress, day by day. The believer has an infinite supply of resources available, and thus is expected to continue to increase in spiritual strength and grace and glory all his life.

First, “blessed is the man whose strength is in thee.” With such strength, the believer can, when “passing through the valley of Baca (‘weeping’) make it a well” (Psalm 84:5,6). Next, as seen in our text, “They go from strength to strength”—that is, from one level of strength to another, as they appropriate the strength of the Lord Himself.

But strength is more than just spiritual power. “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 2:1). We are saved by grace, and God’s grace should be increasingly evident in our lives. “Of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16). His grace is endless and inexhaustible, and we can receive (literally) “grace upon grace,” as we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).

Then, as we go from strength to strength, and receive grace upon grace, “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory” (II Corinthians 3:18). The “glass” in which we behold the Lord’s image, in context, is the reading of the Scriptures. His glory shines through its open pages and becomes reflected in the very character of the believer.

This is how the Christian’s spiritual life should progress from day to day. Receiving first of all His strength and His grace, and His glory, we “may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

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The Angel Of Redemption


“The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth” (Genesis 48:16).

In this verse is the first use in the Bible of the beautiful word “redeem” (Hebrew goel). Its basic meaning is “buy back”—that is, to avenge and restore one who has been wronged, or to set free one who has been enslaved. The right and duty of redemption, in Biblical times, was commonly understood to belong to the next of kin, and the word is the usual Hebrew word for “kinsman.”

In this use of this word, Jacob noted that his redeemer had been the mighty Angel of the Lord—the one who had been his only kinsman (after all, his parents were powerless to help him and his brother and uncle were his enemies). Jacob had learned that the God of His fathers was the only one able and willing to deliver him from all evil, and therefore he could also call on Him to deliver and bless his seed.

Job also could speak of Him: “I know that my redeemer liveth” (Job 19:25). So could David: “O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). Isaiah wrote frequently of Him. For example: “Thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer: thy name is from everlasting” (Isaiah 63:16).

Jacob’s “Angel” of redemption was none other than the second Person of the Godhead, before He became incarnate as Son of Man, in the person of Jesus Christ. He is now, indeed, our brother, our kinsman, for He was “made like unto His brethren” (Hebrews 2:17) and then paid the awful price to deliver us from sin’s bondage, thereby obtaining “eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12). “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18,19).

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Chosen Vessels

“But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15).

The Lord here was speaking to Ananias concerning the Apostle Paul, calling him a “vessel,” that was to be filled with spiritual treasures for the nations. We may not be chosen for such a great work as that of Paul, but each of us is a chosen vessel to carry the message to someone.

First, however, we have to be prepared as vessels by the great Potter, “that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory” (Romans 9:23). This verse speaks of God’s mercy, for He must also endure “with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction” (Romans 9:22).

We are only earthen vessels, at least to begin with, but God does entrust a portion of His heavenly treasures to us, especially “the light of the glorious gospel of Christ” shining in our hearts. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (II Corinthians 4:4,7).

If we are faithful in the small things, He may one day entrust us with greater treasures. “In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (II Timothy 2:20,21).

Each one is a vessel in the Master’s hand. Some are vessels of wrath, suited only for destruction; some vessels in His house are of wood and dirt, vessels of dishonor. May God help us, however, to be beautiful vessels of great value, sanctified to the Master’s use, and to every good work.

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Saving Faith

“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?” (James 2:14).

The well-known apparent “conflict” between James and Paul focuses especially on this verse. The Apostle Paul says emphatically: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9). Yet James, also an apostle, insists: “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20).

But no real conflict exists. In our text, there is a definite article before the word “faith.” James’ question is, literally, “Can that faith save him?” This is obviously intended as a rhetorical question, with a negative answer. In the context, James teaches that a “profession of faith” is not enough to produce salvation, if that faith “have not works.”

Since that kind of faith does not save, then what kind of faith does save? The answer is given by Paul, in the very verses quoted above. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that-i.e., that faith (which is the inference in the original)-is not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” In other words, true saving faith is not a man-generated faith of some kind, it is a supernatural gift of God! And that faith does save, because it is part of the new nature implanted by the Holy Spirit when a new believer is born again. Furthermore, this faith does inevitably produce good works, for the verse following says that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Faith must be faith in something, and true saving faith must be centered in the saving gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in His inerrant Word. Such faith will inevitably result in a changed life and good works. That is the faith that saves.

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God Our Habitation

“LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1).

These are the tremendous opening words of the oldest psalm in the book of Psalms, called, in its superscript, the “prayer of Moses the man of God.” Moses must have written it shortly before his death, as he looked out over the promised land and realized that he, himself, would never live there (Deuteronomy 34:4,5). It did not really matter, though, for he had lived in many places, and none of them were really his home. As a baby, he had lived for a brief while in a basket on the river, then in a queen’s palace, then forty years in Midian, and forty more years wandering in the wilderness.

Furthermore, he had been meditating on the men of God of previous generations (after all, he had compiled all their ancient records in the book of Genesis) and had found that they, too, like the Apostle Paul 1500 years later, had “no certain dwelling place” (I Corinthians 4:11). Adam had been expelled from his Garden; Noah lived for a year in an Ark on a worldwide sea, then the rest of his life in a devastated earth; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in tents in Canaan, and their descendants lived as slaves in Egypt.

Yet wherever they were, the Lord was with them. He had been their dwelling place, and this was Moses’ first thought as he composed his great prayer. He also had written down “the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death” (Deuteronomy 33:1). Its climax was this great assurance: “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (v.27). The “refuge” of this promise is the same Hebrew word as “dwelling place” in our text.

We, like they, are “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13), but “underneath are the everlasting arms.” Where the Lord is-there home is!

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The Omnipotent God


“Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee” (Job 42:1,2).

This was Job’s testimony at the end of His sufferings, as God revealed Himself to him, and Job acknowledged both the omnipotence and omniscience of his Maker.

The omnipotence of God is a basic doctrine of Christianity, as well as of monotheism in general, yet multitudes of people who give mental assent to this doctrine live out their lives as though God either has died, or has become impotent, or has wandered away, leaving man alone as the captain of his fate. Therefore it is well for us occasionally to remember again some of the great Biblical affirmations of His omnipotence.

His very name is “God Almighty” (Genesis 35:11). “Ah LORD God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17). Furthermore, God required neither time nor process to create, make, and complete the infinite cosmos in all its complexity: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. . . . For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:6,9). “He is strong in power; not one faileth” (Isaiah 40:26).

In light of this truth, all the schemes of man are trivial. “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance” (Isaiah 40:15). Evolutionary humanism, which seeks to exalt time and chance as the cause of the universe, and man and his systems as its goal and guide, is thus the utmost foolishness!

Because He is omnipotent, His Word is trustworthy, and neither “height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

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Filling The Earth


“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 9:1).

This was the first command given by God to mankind in the new world after the Flood. Actually, it simply renewed the first command given to Adam and Eve in the primeval world. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth . . .” (Genesis 1:28). The Old English word “replenish” means simply “fill,” and the same is true of the Hebrew word (mala), from which it is translated. In fact, of its 220 occurrences, the King James translators rendered it “replenish” only seven times. Almost always, they translated it by “fill,” or the equivalent.

Thus, God’s first command to men and women was to multiply until the earth was filled. Despite our latter-day concerns about exploding populations, this goal is far from accomplishment today. “Filling,” of course, would imply filling only to the optimum capacity for productive human stewardship of the earth under God.

The pre-Flood earth was filled in only 1656 years, but it was “filled with violence through them,” and God finally had to “destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13)

In spite of man’s failures, the Lord has given a gracious promise: “And the LORD said, . . . as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD” (Numbers 14:20,21). This will not be man’s doing, however. When Christ returns in power and great glory as the destroying Stone, then “the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35). The New Earth will finally be filled with an innumerable multitude of the redeemed (Revelation 7:9), and “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

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A Matter Of The Will

“I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD” (Psalm 116:13).

Notice the “I wills” of this great psalm:

   1. “I will take the cup of salvation” (v.13). In the garden of Gethsemane, our Lord prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). On the cross, Christ drank fully of the cup of suffering and death for sin, that we might one day drink of the cup of salvation.
   2. “I will call upon the name of the LORD” (Psalm 116:13,17), “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Calling on the Lord begins at salvation, and continues throughout the Christian life. “Because He hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:2).
   3. “I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living” (v.9). Not only should the believer exhibit a good testimony in his walk before the world, he also should consider if his walk before the Lord is well-pleasing.
   4. “I will pay my vows unto the LORD in the presence of all His people” (v.18). The Lord expects us to keep our word. Vows, like those in marriage, extend in two directions: upward, “unto the LORD,” and outward, “in the presence of all His people.” Vows should never be taken lightly. Both God and man have a right to expect them to be kept.
   5. “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of praise” (v.17). Praising God is a definite act of the will. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to do just that. “ By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). The sacrifice of praise truly is a sweet-smelling savor to God. “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me” (Psalm 50:23).

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The Prophet's Chamber


“And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither” (II Kings 4:9,10).

This sparsely furnished little room, built by a kindly woman and her elderly husband, was the prototype of all the so-called “prophet’s chambers” that have been built for traveling teachers and evangelists ever since.

Little did this simple farm couple anticipate what fruit their kindness would bear one day, in this very room. “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:” the Bible says, “for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2). In the first place, to show his appreciation, Elisha prayed that the Lord would give them a son, and God miraculously answered (II Kings 4:16,17).

Then, tragically, the boy died quite suddenly several years later, while Elisha was at Mount Carmel, some 15 miles away. The Shunammite woman laid her son on Elisha’s bed in the prophet’s chamber, then saddled her donkey, and rode hastily to find Elisha and bring him to the boy. The round trip must have taken her two days or more, and the boy’s dead body lay on the prophet’s bed in the little room all that time.

But then Elisha prayed once again, and the most amazing event took place there (II Kings 4:33–35). For the very first time in history, a dead person was restored to life.

The Shunammite woman and her son are never heard from again. But for 3000 years, the testimony of a little chamber, and the love and faith of the godly woman who prepared it as a simple service for her Lord and His prophet, has been an inspiration and example to multitudes.

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Whom To Pray For

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men” (I Timothy 2:1).

Let no one ever say that he has nothing to pray about, or that he doesn’t know how to pray in God’s will, for it is always in the will of God to pray for other people! This is a great gift that any Christian can give, even if he is penniless or bedridden. There are none so poor as to be unable to afford such a gift, nor can even the wealthiest give a finer gift.

Note just a few of the relevant commandments to believers: First, we are to pray for all fellow Christians: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). We should also pray for the lost. Jesus commanded: “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2).

There is a special command to pray for sick disciples. “Pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:16). We are even told to pray for our enemies. “Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Luke 6:28).

We are told to pray for Christian brethren who “sin a sin which is not unto death” (I John 5:16) though, if the sin has already led to physical death (as in I Corinthians 11:30), there is no warrant for further prayer in that case. Finally, we are especially admonished to pray “for kings, and for all that are in authority” (I Timothy 2:2), and for the ministries of those who proclaim the gospel (Colossians 4:2–4). In short, in the words of our text, we should offer up supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving for all men everywhere, “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

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Paul--��s Prayer Life

“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers” (Romans 1:9).

The Apostle Paul was a great man of prayer. He prayed “without ceasing” for the Roman Christians. To the Corinthian church he wrote: “I thank my God always on your behalf” (I Corinthians 1:4). Similarly, to the Ephesians: “(I) cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:16). The same assurance was written to Philippi: “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy” (Philippians 1:4). And to the Colossians: “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you” (Colossians 1:9). “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers” (I Thessalonians 1:2).

Apparently every church except those in Galatia received this assurance from the Apostle. He also prayed constantly for his personal disciples, Timothy and Philemon. “Without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day” (II Timothy 1:3). “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers” (Philemon 4).

Paul also preached what he practiced. “Pray without ceasing,” he commanded, in his first-written epistle; “in every thing give thanks” (I Thessalonians 5:17,18). “Continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). “Giving thanks always for all things” (Ephesians 5:20).

In addition to regular times of concentrated prayer, we should seek to be sensitive, moment by moment, to needs and opportunities for intimate, personal, conversational prayer with our ever-present Lord. Never was there a busier Christian than Paul, yet he somehow had time to pray.