For Such a Time as This July 16, 2020 - Bethany Hoffer

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To the Good Folk of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren,



Joys and Concerns

If you have a joy or concern you would like us to share and pray about, please call, text or email it to me.  If you would like it included in our Sunday Worship sharing and prayer time, please share it with me that week by Friday morning.


Thank You: 

To all who call others to check in on them and share our emails and devotions.



Today’s Devotion:

I am thankful to Bethany Hoffer for providing today’s devotion.  Bethany first shared this devotion on June 14th in her weekly Connect post on our website Youth Page.  If you wish to respond to Bethany directly, her email address is bhoffer@palmyracob.org .

Shalom, Dennis


Scripture - James 5:13-16 (NRSV)

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.


Thoughts

In the Church of the Brethren, two of our practices that often go together are anointing and laying on of hands. Anointing is when someone, usually a pastor, places oil on the forehead of a person who is physically, mentally, or spiritually struggling. Then the pastor will often place their hands on the struggling person’s head or shoulders and say a prayer for healing or clarity. Many times, anointing happens before surgeries or other medical procedures, but people are also anointed as they begin a new phase of life or are in need of spiritual or emotional healing.

Anointing is symbolic. It is not a cure all or guarantee of physical healing. But it is an opportunity for faith and trust. When we choose to be anointed, we are turning over our struggles to God, putting our unknowns and fears in God’s hands. While this may not guarantee physical healing, often times it allows for us to heal in other ways. When we are able to let go of our insecurities and need for control, when we are able to give away our fears, we are able to find a peace that can only come from trusting in God.


Prayer

Dear God, in these times of uncertainty and lack of control, anoint us all in the love of Jesus, that we may find a peace that surpasses all understanding.  Amen.

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