Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

James 5:14-15
Is anyone among you ill? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 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.
Jesus was both a healer and a teacher. You cannot divide up His ministry. He ministered to the whole range of people’s needs – body, mind and spirit. When Jesus left this earth, He commissioned the Church to carry on with that ministry, and here in James we see a clear description of what that meant in practice.
In recent years, the word ‘holistic’ has become very popular to describe how God works. In the power of His Spirit He wants us to be whole people, enjoying Him and His world to the full. Many parts of the Church have tended to focus on words and preaching and have marginalised the healing ministry. But that makes no sense if we are truly following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Healing takes many forms and when we pray for healing, we will never be entirely sure how God will answer. Whenever I pray for people I always tell them two things: firstly that I am absolutely convinced of God’s ability to heal, and secondly that I don’t know the way in which He will answer our prayer. In prayer we entrust ourselves into God’s loving, healing embrace.
Question
For whom are you going to pray for healing today?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that Your desire is for everyone to be whole in body, mind and spirit. Help me to both receive and share Your healing touch today. Amen

James 5:13
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
I once heard a well-known preacher tell the story of a young woman who said she often didn’t feel like praying. His response was that prayer is not a glandular condition! Prayer is something we need to do whatever our feelings. That’s precisely the point that James is making here. In short, it’s always the right time to pray – whether you are going through a good or a bad time.
God doesn’t want us to pray as if we need to find the right magic words and then we can forget about Him until the next time we have to say a few prayers. He wants a relationship with us within which we fully share the ups and downs of life.
I love that the Bible doesn’t present us with a line of holy people who always got it right. The Bible is almost the opposite of that! It tells us the story of people who struggled and often failed. And amid it all we see how those frail and failed human beings discovered that God loved them and had a purpose for their lives.
God doesn’t want us to be religious people who say beautiful prayers and then shut Him out. He wants us to live what might best be described as a life of prayer.
Question
What steps could you take to share more of your life with God in prayer?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that You love me so much that You want to share every aspect of life with me. Amen

James 5:12
Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No”. Otherwise you will be condemned.
James isn’t talking here about bad language but about the very common practice at the time of trying to strengthen a statement by taking an oath. Jews made a distinction between oaths made in the name of God, which could never be broken, and other oaths that didn’t mention God, which could be broken. James encourages his readers to make life much easier by simply telling the truth.
The Greeks held that the best guarantee of any statement was not an oath, but the character of the person who made it. Our words are the natural overflow of the lives that we live, so if we live with integrity, people will know that they can trust our words. If we always keep promises, people will know that the next promise we make can be relied upon.
Speaking the truth is the fundamental building block for every relationship. When relationships break down, it is almost always accompanied by lies and deception. The only way to bring a relationship back on course is by speaking the truth. This will often be painful and difficult, but it is the only route to build a solid and strong relationship, and this applies to our relationship with God just as it does to those with our colleagues, friends and family.
Question
When do you find it difficult to tell the truth?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that I can be totally truthful with You and know that You will always love me and forgive me. Help me to speak the truth in every situation, however tough it might be. Amen

James 5:11
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
We don’t know exactly what James’ readers were facing, but clearly it was tough for them to live as Christians. They needed to persevere. Amid all the temptations, distractions and persecution that they were facing, they needed to hang in there for God. This is precisely what Job had done when he had lost his children, his possessions and his health. He could so easily have given in – but he didn’t. He persevered.
There are many times in life when God calls us to simply endure. William Carey was the father of the modern missionary movement and he went to India in 1793. During his time there he faced a succession of problems and setbacks, including a major fire which destroyed years of his work – but he kept going. He once said to his nephew: “If after my removal anyone should think it worth his while to write my life, I will give you a criterion by which you may judge its correctness. If he gives me credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.”
Whatever we are facing today, God wants to us keep plodding on.
Question
What have you learned from those tough situations which you have had to endure?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that You will never leave or forsake me. Thank You that I can be sure that You will be right beside me whatever I have to face. Amen

James 5:9
Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
The Bible introduces us to lots of grumbling people. Most famously we hear the people of Israel having a whinge after God had miraculously led them out of slavery in Egypt. They had been there for 400 years and, at last, had been set free by the mighty hand of God. The yoke of oppression had been broken and they were now able to enjoy the sweet taste of freedom. But almost immediately their response was to grumble because things weren’t working out in the way they had hoped.
Nothing much has changed. Grumbling continues to consume huge amounts of time and energy in every part of society. You would hope that churches would be a glorious exception to this rule but, sadly, this isn’t true. James is concerned about this and is severe in his words. Grumbling shouldn’t be taken lightly. It seriously damages the spiritual health of a church and God will judge it. You have been warned!
How should we respond to all of this? Billy Graham once observed: “Grumbling and gratitude are, for the child of God, in conflict. Be grateful and you won’t grumble. Grumble and you won’t be grateful.” I find this helpful. We have a choice to make, and God’s desire is that we should live our lives with gratitude – gratitude to God for all that He has done for us and an attitude of gratitude towards the people around us. Gratitude is always God’s way for us.
Question
What are you going to do when you are next tempted to grumble?
Prayer
Lord God, forgive me for grumbling, and by Your Spirit nurture in me an attitude of gratitude. Amen