Choosing to Pray

******NOTICE******

Since we are winding down our “FaithWorks” sermon series on the book of James, this will be the last 5-6 days of our daily devotions for a while. As we evaluate this tool, please leave a comment below with your name so that we can discern who has been reading the blog postings and plan for the future. Thanks!

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” –James 5:13

At first glance this verse looks pretty simple: If things aren’t going well, you ought to pray. If they are going well, then praise him, which is really a form of prayer too. So, no matter what you are doing, pray. There’s nothing wrong with that interpretation, and it is certainly valid with Scripture. However, I think there is an even more significant meaning when we look at the book of James as a whole.

If we look at the immediate context of the book, we will see that the previous section just talked about how we are to be patient in the midst of suffering. When we look at the book as a whole we see that this is a recurring theme, from the beginning to the end. So, while it certainly includes praying always, it has a more significant meaning of choosing to praise God and pray in the midst of suffering.

Whenever we face hardships and suffering, we also find an open door for spiritual growth. Whether God causes or just allows these situations, we can always grow through them and become more like him as we endure. Sometimes we will even find ourselves cheerful (this is closer than the NIV’s ‘happy’) in the midst of that suffering. This is next to impossible to explain, but it happens. When it happens, we should simply praise God. But there are other times when in the midst of trouble and trial when it absolutely gets a hold on us. When this happens, our response should essentially be the same: pray.

When you face a trial, no matter whether you are cheerful or downtrodden, may your response be the same: turn to God in prayer and praise.