Growing up in a Pentecostal church, I feel I've seen it all. From people falling over in the Spirit, or laughing uncontrollably to speaking various languages. To any outsider, we'd look crazy. To me, this was a normal Sunday morning service. I have to chuckle to myself because it does seem kind of crazy, but it's how we believe the Spirit moves.
Anyway, one thing that I always found interesting (and honestly, sometimes annoying because it made the church service go longer than expected) was when the Pastor would call up anyone who wanted to be prayed for to the front so the elders of the church could anoint that person with oil. Most of the time, the people that went up to be prayed for were sick and needed healing. Other times, people went up for different things like: addiction, financial problems, to stand in place for others, or to simply get more of Jesus. The person could tell the Pastor their need or keep it anonymous if they didn't want to share. The Pastor would then dip his finger in some oil, make a vertical streak over the person's forehead, and begin praying while the elders joined in laying their hands on the person. The church agreed in prayer in their seats.
Some Sundays the line to be prayed for was long, other times, no one went up. I remember going up a few times. I can't even remember for what, but I did go up. I remember the oil dripping down my forehead and being worried it would clog my pores (oh the things teenagers worry about). I remember all these hands being laid upon me as I heard many voices believing in prayer for me. It sounds weird, no doubt, but I remember the feeling of the Spirit being very real every time I went up. It was pretty cool.
I remember thinking at times I could only find the Holy Spirit at the alter because that's where I first met Him. I found out later that the alter isn't the only place I could find Him, although He always seems to be there when I go, even to this day.
I digress. The devotional I read today is about the God that heals us (makes me think of the song they used to play in the background when people were getting prayed for, "I Am God, That Healeth Thee"). Wigglesworth points to James 5:14-15 that says, "Is anyone among you sick? 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 will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."
What really gets me about this verse is where it says, "...And if he has committed since, he will be forgiven." I like this part. Here's why: I love food. If I had a large enough stomach, I'd eat all day long. The thing is, I am lactose intolerant, but I love my ice cream. There have been so many times when I have eaten ice cream and payed the price a few hours later. The pains in my stomach can be pretty bad. Sometimes I feel guilty asking God to heal me when I willingly ate the ice cream knowing full well it would make me sick. Part of me thinks I should suffer, after all, I made the decision to eat it. But God doesn't think that way.
Even if we've made mistakes, whether willingly or unwillingly, God still promises to heal us according to his Word. Do we deserve it? Probably not all the time, but He does it anyway.
Wigglesworth sums it up with this: God provides the double cure, for even if sin has been the cause of the sickness, His Word declares in James 5:15, "If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."
I love it. :)
I love this devotional and I love the verse in James. The one thing I don't love...the last time I've seen someone get anointed with oil was years ago in that small church I grew up in. Why don't churches do that today??
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