05 Words Matter

Reference

James 5:13-20

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been talking from the book of James about words and what those are: that words are mighty, that they matter, and that they are important in what we say. How we started looking in the book of James began with how we respond to God’s Word—what it is that we do in interaction and response to God’s Word, the Bible, the Scripture, and what He’s leading us—as well as what others say to us and how we respond to them. Then we looked at how we walk in the Word: our actions that lead us in the world and what others see. It matters how we walk with God.

Then we talked about watching our words—what we say and how we speak to others, as well as into our own lives and thinking. Last time we were together, we talked about fighting words and how we live in relationship to each other. Today, we’re going to talk about healing words: things that bring healing to relationships, healing to our spirits, and healing to the body—the things that affect us physically.

Your adversary, Satan, would love for you to assume the worst about your situation. He would enjoy seeing you heave a sigh and resign yourself to feelings of depression, hopelessness, frustration, pain, and sickness. However, when we trust God, anything is possible—the One who directed the stone from David’s sling to hit the forehead of Goliath, who split the Red Sea in half and provided a dry path for the Israelites to walk on, who leveled the walls of Jericho because they walked around it, and who raised Jesus to life after being crucified. He takes delight in mixing up those odds as He alters what we think is inevitable and bypasses the impossible to accomplish what we cannot imagine.

Healing words change things. We may speak words that hurt at times, either to others or to ourselves, but our hearts really desire healing words for ourselves and for others. Proverbs 15:23 tells us, "Everyone enjoys a fitting reply. It's wonderful to say the right thing at the right time." You’ve probably experienced that, right? You say, “I wish I had known the right words at the right time,” and five minutes later you think, “Oh, I should have said…” Then there are those times where you just say the right thing at the right time because God was directing you.

Proverbs 18:20 tells us, "Wise words satisfy like a good meal. The right words bring satisfaction." Do you realize Scripture said that? You sit down at a good meal, and afterwards you say, “That was really good; I enjoyed that.” That is what right words do: they satisfy like a good meal.

Let’s see what James tells us about healing words in James chapter 5, beginning at verse 13:

13 Is anyone among you suffering? [Then] he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? [Then] he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. 19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Let’s look at verse 13: "Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray." Suffering—whether physical pain or trials attacking us—should be a cause for prayer. Most of the time, suffering seems to result in complaining or bitterness instead of prayer. Prayer is often the last thing we move toward instead of the first thing we choose. That “woe is me, why is this happening to me” attitude is often our first reaction, instead of turning to God in prayer.

Just before this, in verse 10, James writes, "As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord." Looking at others who have suffered takes the focus off ourselves and helps us realize we are not alone. Looking at what others endured doesn't devalue or reduce your pain; it gives us hope. Hebrews 2:18 tells us, "Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested." Speaking of Jesus, we serve a God who is not far removed from us. He lived here as fully human and fully God, experienced suffering, and knows what we face. He identifies with us and says, "I know what you're going through." God has seen others through their situations, and He will do the same for you.

While in the middle of suffering, we can feel isolated, which leads to fear, worry, doubt, and depression. Does our suffering cause us to complain, or does it lead us to pray? 1 Peter 3:17 reminds us, "For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong." When you do wrong and face consequences, you expect it. But suffering while doing the right thing is where we struggle: "What did I do wrong?" Sometimes we haven't done anything wrong; suffering is simply a part of this life. Revelation 2:10 says, "Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer... Be faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life." Becoming a Christian does not remove your name from the list of those who will experience suffering. Paul writes, "Endure suffering along with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." Peter says the same in 1 Peter 4:12: "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you." Suffering should cause us to pray even more instead of complaining.

Not everything in life is suffering, however. There are joyous times. James 5:13 continues: "Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises." Happiness is a reason for praise, but happiness that doesn't result in praise can lead to entitlement—thinking we deserve to be happy because of who we are or what we have done, rather than praising the One who deserves all praise.

Psalm 150 calls us to praise God in His sanctuary, in His mighty heavens, for His mighty works, and for His unequaled greatness—with horns, harps, tambourines, flutes, and cymbals: "Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord." Paul writes in Ephesians 5:19 to sing "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts." Singing lightens the heart, and praise enlightens the path before us. Archibald Lang Fleming, the first Bishop of the Arctic, shared what an Eskimo hunter once said to him: "Before you came, the road was dark and we were afraid. Now we are not afraid, for the darkness has gone away and all is light as we walk the Jesus way." Psalm 119:105 tells us, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

In James 5:14, the passage addresses sickness: "Is any among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." God may heal directly, through medicine, or as an answer to prayer. Healing power is still available today. Sometimes God heals because we prayed, and other times because others prayed for us. Oil is a symbol of God's presence throughout Scripture, and it was also used medicinally—much like the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:34 who poured oil and wine on wounds to bandage them.

Verse 15 states, "The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up." Prayers offered in faith does not refer only to the faith of the sick person, but also of those praying. Consider the paralyzed man whose four friends lowered him through the roof to Jesus. Luke records that Jesus, "seeing their faith," healed him. Furthermore, prayers must align with the will of God. 1 John 5:14 tells us that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

God does not always answer in the exact way we expect. In 2 Corinthians 12:8, Paul implored the Lord three times to remove the thorn in his flesh, yet God chose not to remove it. In 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul mentions leaving Trophimus sick at Miletus. Even Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours."

James 5:15 concludes, "And if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him." In ancient Jewish culture, people often assumed all sickness stemmed directly from personal sin, much like Job's friends insisted he must have sinned. In John 9, the disciples asked Jesus if a man was born blind because of his sins or his parents' sins. Jesus replied that it was neither, but so that the works of God might be displayed in him. Yet when sin is involved, forgiveness brings restoration. In Luke 5, Jesus told the paralyzed man, "Your sins are forgiven," demonstrating His authority as God on earth before telling him to pick up his mat and walk.

Verse 16 commands: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." While Jesus’s resurrection allows us to go directly to God, confessing to each other remains vital. Confession to God restores our relationship with Him. Confession to others breaks down barriers between people and brings restoration to relationships.

Guidelines for confession include:

If we sin against an individual, we should go directly to that person and ask for forgiveness.
If our sin affects the church body as a whole, it should be acknowledged publicly.
If we are struggling with sin and need accountability, we should confess to trusted believers who can support us.
If we struggle with assurance of God's forgiveness, talking to a trusted brother or sister in Christ can offer spiritual reassurance.

As 1 Peter 2:9 states, we are a "royal priesthood," called to minister to one another and show the goodness of God.

James points to Elijah as an example of an ordinary person who prayed effectively: "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain... Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain." Elijah was human just like us, yet he drew close to God, prayed within God’s will, and mighty things happened.

Verses 19–20 conclude: "My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins." Straying means someone was once in alignment with the truth and drifted away. Just like vehicle alignment—where caster, camber, and toe must be set to manufacturer specifications or the vehicle pulls and damages the tires—our lives must align with God’s truth.

Jesus illustrated this with the parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to pursue the one that went astray and gently brings it back into the flock.

How do we stay aligned and help others do the same?

Love and accept the truth: 2 Thessalonians 2:10 warns against deception that entraps those who refuse to love the truth.
Obey the truth: Galatians 5:7 challenges us: "You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?"
Display the truth: 2 Corinthians 4:2 reminds us to reject underhanded ways and openly state the truth.
Speak the truth in love: Ephesians 4:15 instructs us to speak the truth in love. When the woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, He did not ignore the truth of sin, but He responded with mercy: "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
Show the truth by our actions: 1 John 3:18 calls us not to love merely with words, but with actions and in truth.

Paul echoed this restoration mindset in 1 Timothy 4:16: "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this, you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you." We must walk closely with God so we can help guide others back.

Healing comes in many forms—through prayer, confession, and community.

To put this into practice this week:

Cultivate a habit of confession: Don't wait until things become overwhelming. Make confession a regular discipline with a trusted friend, spouse, pastor, or small group.
Pray for one another: When someone shares a struggle with you, don’t merely listen—pray for them. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Seek to restore, not judge: Approach wandering brothers and sisters with grace and love to restore them gently.
Be open to healing: Whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, remain open to how God chooses to work.