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)
Perhaps the two greatest weaknesses
in the average church today are the areas of prayer and praise. There is much
need for prayer and much cause to praise. James used several questions to
stress these points and then spoke to the power we have in prayer.
The whole of the Christian life is
to be lived in communion with God, the good and the bad, manifested by prayer. Calvin says it beautifully, “There is no time in which God does not
invite us to Himself.” Alec Motyer said, “Our whole life should be so angled towards God that whatever strikes
upon us, whether sorrow or joy, should be deflected upwards at once into His
presence.”
When to Pray - The passage above
gives us some important times to pray.
1. Pray When You Are Afflicted vs 13a - Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. The word “suffering
or afflicted” means “suffering in
difficult circumstances.” The phrase “in
trouble” is a good translation. Paul
used this word to describe the circumstances he was in as he suffered for the
Gospel’s sake (2 Timothy 2:9). What should we do when we find ourselves in
such trying circumstances? We must not
grumble and criticize the saints who are having an easier time of it (James 5:9 - Do not complain, brethren, against one
another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is
standing right at the door.); nor should we blame the Lord. We should pray, asking God for the wisdom we
need to understand the situation and use it to His glory.
Prayer may not
only be used to move heaven to our desire, but to help us understand the will
of God in the situation and be prepared to bear it. Prayer can remove affliction, if that is God’s
will. But prayer can also give us the
grace we need to endure troubles and use them to accomplish God’s perfect will.
·
God can transform troubles into triumphs. “He giveth more grace” (James 4:6). Paul
prayed that God might change his circumstances, but instead, God gave Paul the
grace he needed to turn his weakness into strength (2 Corinthians
12:7–10). Our Lord prayed
in Gethsemane that the cup might be removed and it was not; yet the Father gave
Him the strength He needed to go to the cross and die for our sins.
2. Pray with Song When You Are Happy vs 13b - Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. James
indicated that everybody does not go through troubles at the same time:
·
God balances our lives and gives us hours of
suffering and days of singing.
·
The mature Christian knows how to sing while
he is suffering. (Anybody can sing after the trouble has passed.) God
is able to give “songs
in the night” (Job 35:10).
He did this for Paul and Silas when they were suffering in that Philippian
jail. “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and
sang praises unto God” (Acts 16:25).
Praying and singing were important
elements in worship in the early church, and they should be important to us.
Our singing ought to be an expression of our inner spiritual life.
·
The believer’s praise should be intelligent and
not just the mouthing of sounds or ideas that mean nothing to them. (1 Corinthians 14:15)
·
It should be motivated by the Holy Spirit and
come from the heart. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation,
but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; (Ephesians 5:18-19)
·
Christian singing must be based on the Word of
God and not simply on the clever ideas of men. (Colossians
3:16) If a song is not biblical, it is not acceptable to God.
SING PRAISES!!
Please pray for our
Breaking Free Youth Choir today as they are helping with VBS, performing
concerts and participating in community outreach in Albuquerque, NM.
Scripture to Claim:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one
another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with
thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16
