Strength in the Struggle

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As Christians, we can all get behind the idea of praying, it’s what we’re called to do, but what about the idea of praying for healing? It might bring up some rather pointed feelings. On one hand, many of us have seen and heard some crazy stories about churches and ministers turning it into a spectacle, and it’s off-putting. It might make us cynical, and we can joke about it, but there’s a deeper struggle with it under the surface.

As Christians, we also try to reconcile where this idea of “healing” fits with the miracle of modern medicine, which is also a gift from God. But on the other hand, we’ve all known someone who desperately needed prayer for physical needs when there were no answers. Medicine, as amazing as it can be, fell short. When lives are suddenly turned upside down, or there is a long, hard battle.

And sometimes things turned out well, sometimes they didn’t. It leaves us to wonder if we prayed enough, prayed the right way, or had enough faith.

But what if this wasn’t so much about healing, sin, confession, or even prayer, but was about real faith?

faith can sometimes be a struggle – the where, who, or what we have faith in, and holding onto it in difficulty.

James 5
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.

The good, bad, or ugly. When things are up or when they’re down. We need to pray in all things. But then there’s a part about calling the elders and anointing. The word “sick” can also be translated as “weak.” It can be physical, but it can also be spiritual or emotional.

When you take the step and trust in who God is, that’s faith. It’s the faith to believe that God CAN heal, and even if He doesn’t heal us in the way we desire, that He’s at work through it. That He’s still enough, sickness and death don’t have the final word, He’s faithful, and that He gets the glory from it.

We take a risk with faith because it might not work out the way we want, and publicly. But something always happens. It may not be the healing we want, but it’s always the strength we need.

James 5
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

There’s a powerful thing that happens when we confess our struggle to others and come clean about our weakness, even sin, and that’s that the power of it is broken. Maybe we’ll still struggle, but God gives us strength in the struggle – the strength to keep going, to overcome.

Some of us feel like we could never do that and might ask ourselves, “What if people found out who I really was?” We might think the price is too high. Aren’t you paying a steep price now carrying that around?

Some of us think, “I got this. I’ll handle it.” Whether it’s an addiction, porn, something that was done to you or you did, or someone you’re angry with. The problem is that you’ve been saying that for years. It’s not getting fixed. You can’t fix it yourself. You can’t pull yourself out. This time isn’t going to be different than last time.

You might’ve been in a place of struggle, an addiction, a marriage that didn’t work out, a personal challenge, even a struggle against sin, and you took a chance on the church with it. You tried to get help, you stepped out in faith, and you made yourself vulnerable.

Unfortunately, they burned you with their response. And you feel like you can never do that again, rightly so. You’re owed an apology, and even with that, it’s still hard.

Some days our faith feels strong, God seems evident, and things seem clear. Other days, uncertainty and cynicism wash over us. That’s why James gives an unlikely example.

James 5
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

A lot of us are just like Elijah – part fighter, part runner – big faith, big steps, and then huge doubt. Certainty followed by uncertainty. Three steps forward, two steps running backward. Part strong, part struggle.

The good news is that this is not about the amount of your faith because that’s going to rise and fall. It’s about where you continue to place your faith, whether it’s a little or a lot.

In the story of Elijah, God pursues Elijah, stays with him, even into the desolate place. He never leaves. He even provides for him in the desolate place. He gives him strength when he needs it most in the struggle. And He does the same for us!

Not faith in an outcome, faith in the God of the Outcome. When it comes to healing, we’re not anointing an outcome, we’re setting ourselves apart to the God of the outcome, whatever that outcome is.

When it comes to sin and confession, we have faith that He’s big enough, that our struggle can be seen in the light, and He’s still enough. Imagine going to a church where the masks came down.

We all need prayer, we all need anointing at times, we all need to confess, and we all struggle. If we did this together, it would drive us ALL towards humility, where strength will rise. And we don’t stop there. Again and again, we stay anchored to Him, and to each other, through thick and thin.

James tells us that this type of prayer does stuff – it changes things. And regardless of the outcome, it changes you. God always gives you strength in the struggle. There’s always healing, it always comes – just sometimes in ways we don’t expect.

God is with us, and we’re with each other. That’s real faith, and that’s the kind of church anyone would want to be a part of.