Response!

Response!

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]

At times like these, we remind ourselves of who God is, what God has said about who we are, what He expects from us, and where we are headed. James was writing to the twelve tribes who found themselves scattered abroad among the Gentiles in the dispersion. Trials and persecutions had brought many of the Jews to where they were now, and things were really tough. However, the message of James was not in line with their phyiscal reality. He started off his letter to this group by asking them to count it all joy that they were found worthy to be persecuted for the sake of Christ. The trials were to bring out the best in them, so that they would learn the lessons required to be the best vessels that God wanted them to be. This message is not in keeping with what is popular in the world we live in today. We want convenience and comfort, but that is not what the verse above starts from. 

That is the message of life that can be sometimes difficult to preach. How do you tell anyone to expect trials and tough times? How do you prepare the right way for these experiences? What do you do when you do not fully understand the WHY behind the WHAT that is happening to you? James makes an unusual recommendation: do not let the physical reality around you keep you away from the amazing experiences that are possible and available in God. If I want to focus on what is wrong, or what I do not have, there will be many things to consider. The verse above encourages me to see beyond what is 'real' according to what I see, to what is 'real' according to what God would have me see. The real thing I see may be affliction, or ill-treatment and abuse, but the real thing God would have me see is an opportunity to pray. Really? You may ask. 

How does prayer help when I am being treated bad? One thing prayer does is that it takes my focus away from what is wrong to who is able to hold, help and sustain me through whatever it is that is wrong. Of course, when I know and acknowledge that God is in charge, it frees my heart to focus on pleasing God. When God has dealt with the physical pressures that I face, my heart is able to rejoice. Even in that condition, James makes makes another recommendation: sing praise to God. Again, I am reminded that I cannot afford to sit on the fence of indifference. I do not have the luxury of being lukewarm about what is important, or what God would have me do. Praising God works from an understanding of the Omnipotence of God. I praise Him because I know He is in charge, and nothing happens to His children without His permission. I rejoice in this special relationship, and I ask God to continually help me see Him in all that I go through. God's time of favour is here.