James 5:13-18 - Just A Human?

Do you ever find yourself in awe of someone? That person you know or know of that is just amazing at whatever they do? Maybe you are thinking about someone that is so amazingly gifted; you just can never see yourself being like them or operating like them. We have nearly made it through the book of James, and he is someone I read about, and look at his life and am in total awe of. There are people in the Bible like the Apostle Paul, King David, Simon Peter, and so many others. My guess is we all have these thoughts and feelings that, in some way, we could never be like them, or can find ourselves stuck believing there is just something different about them, and they have something I don’t. 

James responds to this type of thinking, and this mindset right in the middle of his closing thoughts. James used the example of Elijah;

“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. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” - ‭‭James‬ ‭5:17-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Elijah was a human being...

Elijah was a man with human frailties...

Elijah was as human as we are...

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours...

Elijah, for instance, human just like us...

Five different translations, and five ways to read this amazing man who did so much was as human as we are. As I sit here and process this, I believe our enemy, Satan himself uses a powerful tool of comparison, an instrument of shame, a means of doubt that leaves us in a place where we look to others and put them on some type of pedestal and say we could never be like that, or we just are not capable of fill in the blank. 

I once heard a pastor say in a message, “you want to be like me, but you are not willing to do the things that I do.” Let that sink in for a moment. Those people, those humans that we look too, those humans that we can put on a pedestal and never be like...are we doing just that. We want to be like them, but we are not willing to do the things that they do? I believe this is ultimately true, the work, the effort, the commitment, the discipline can often be a separator for us. We want the results without putting in the energy and work. Check out how James opened this thought. 

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 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. 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. 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.” - ‭‭James‬ ‭5:13-16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This stream of thought that comes out of James is telling us we need to be continually praying. We must be centered in and around God with our lives. No matter what, our first response and only response needs to be focused on God. So, those people, those Humans we look up to and want to be like, Elijah, Paul, Ruth, David, Esther, Peter, they were centered. They were simply humans like us.

Jesus said, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” - ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We must move out of the mindset of “I’m just a __________.” Or “I could never __________.” Listen to Jesus' words, nothing will be impossible for you. Yes, we are just a human, but so was Elijah, so was Ruth and David and Esther and Paul. We must center our lives around Christ, live a life for Christ, in Christ, and from Christ and that my friends is the way to be able to pray down rain, heal the sick, free others from bondage, and for ourselves to live in freedom. Jesus never promised this side of heaven that life would be simple or easy or free from pain. But Jesus did model for us a centered life, and a life dedicated to mission and purpose, a life that was prayerful and others focused. Lord, may we abide in you, may we center our lives around you today God, and be reminded that yes we are Humans, but we have the power of the Holy Spirit alive and living in us. Lord remind us that nothing is impossible if we have the faith, and it’s your will. Amen.