A survey of 2 Thess 3, Lev 19, and 2 Cor 8 show that poverty needs to be addressed through hard work and wise forms of assistance, but the only real cure is the 2nd coming.
Here James urges sick Christians to call the elders to pray and to anoint them with oil. Sickness can even be the result of sin in our lives. Despite these unusual features in the text, we can learn some basic truths about prayer.
Believers should imitate the author's agony over his sin, but also his confidence in the Lord's forgiveness.