James 5:13 AMPC
[13] Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise [to God].
As was laid out in the devotion for yesterday, the human phase of life can be unpredictable and messy. There will be times when things will go according to plan, and there will also be many times that things will go horribly bad. There will be opportunities to see God at work and times when it may seem that we have been abandoned by God. Again, it is quite important to emphasize the power and effect of sin on our world today. Due to sin, we are now exposed to the power and actions of the prince of this world, whose work is to steal, kill and destroy. That is all he can do, because it is all he has. We also have a God who rules and reigns over the affairs of men, and whose plan and purpose for man cannot be thwarted unless and until that man simply works at cross-purposes with God. God wants to show Himself strong in my life, but i must let Him do what He is qualified to do.
God does not force Himself on anyone, or go against the exercise of my freewill. He makes all of us a simple offer, and that is He can solve our problems the way He sees fit, only if we can trust His wisdom, timing and leading at all times. His solutions may not always make sense at the time, and may sometimes seem slow, but God is never late. When a man is afflicted, whether ill-treated or suffering evil, God's recommended solution is to pray. It does not ordinarily sound sensible or rational, but in the hand of God, obedience is critical to accessing all that God has promised. He does not say I should accept all that has happened and do nothing about it, but I have to be careful not to defend myself to the point where it becomes self-help. Prayer helps to keep me grounded and dependent on God as the One who can help me through whatever it is that the devil may seek to throw at me.
It could also be that things have aligned, and I have what I have asked for. I do not become conceited, thinking my effort or labour had something to do with what I now have. God's prescription for this season of gladness of heart is to sing praise to God. Praise takes away the focus from myself and my burdens or cares to the One who loves me enough to send His Son to die in my place. If He could do that willingly, I know that there is nothing else that He cannot give me. Praise keeps the focus on the person and power of God, so that God is moved to do even greater things for me. This is the connection between both situations: whether good or bad, I fix my gaze on the One whose power and might cannot be compared to anything or anyone else. My response to my situations is defined by my understanding of who God is, and what He can do. Do you know this God, or have we found alternatives that are taking our eyes and hearts away from God? Input will define output. Make sure you have God. God's time of favour is here.
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