23rd December, 2025
A Fountain Publication
The Lodestar
Online Magazine for the Thinking Christian
Devotional
The Healed Community
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).
By Paulson Pulikottil (www.paulsonp.net)
News of sickness and death pours out of our WhatsApp inboxes every day, making us sad. Despite the most advanced diagnostic tools and cures, sickness is still around and pops up in various forms.
Though Jesus healed the sick and asked his disciples to go out and heal the sick, the Bible does not offer a world devoid of sickness on this side of eternity. Instead, the Bible teaches how to get healed when sick.
James advised the early church to confess and pray together. He is not advising them to confess to God but to each other. Similarly, he asks them to pray for each other instead of individuals seeking their healing. (He had pointed out the need for individual prayer earlier in 5:13.)
The Bible teaches us that sin could be one of the reasons for sickness. Sin, broadly defined, of the victim or the villain is behind every illness. Drunken drivers cause injury and death. Gluttony may lead to various medical conditions. Unable to forgive or accept God’s forgiveness may lead to psychotic issues.
Praying for healing individually is essential but confessing to each other and praying for each other brings physical and spiritual healing in one go. Imagine a community of self-absorbed, uncaring, and divided people. Also, imagine the Holy Spirit opening their eyes to see their faults and leading them to confess the wrongs they did to each other.
The communities James addressed were sick: the poor were neglected, the less significant were treated with contempt and exploited, and, in all likelihood, there were also physically sick among them. Towards the end of his letter, having advised them on all these individual problems, James concludes that they should confess the wrongs done to each other and pray for each other.
Be reconciled and at peace, the communities of believers are the salt and light of this fallen world. Join the journey toward healing and community today. Share this message with someone who needs encouragement, confess and pray together, and experience the power of collective faith to bring physical and spiritual restoration. Let your community be the light in a world of pain.
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