James 5:13

James 5:13

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing psalms.

I am finding that this Book of James is an inspiration for how to live a Christian life.  We have been given advice for how to live and what to avoid in the formation of our character.  When you think there is nothing more new that you can learn, you find yet more gems to treasure.  God is so good!

In this post, we are looking at three beautiful versus. 

The first covers two aspects of your life.  Think about how you are doing right now.  Either you are not doing so well or you are happy with life.  Whichever way you feel, verse 13 tells you what to do.

I want to draw your attention to the Psalms.  David, when he wrote them, wrote out either prayers where he told God his inner thoughts when things weren't going very good in his life or he wrote out praises to God.

We can do the same thing!

Everyone suffers.  This covers a multitude of problems.  Physical wounds or pain.  Emotional turmoil or uncertainty.  Social stress or drama.  Disruptions that take away your smile.  These all are suffering.

I was watching a TV show once.  In this anime, the main female character was struggling to be the best school student council president she could while maintaining a job after school to help her family pay the bills.  She felt embarrassed about her job and didn't want students at school to learn of it for fear that she would be a less effective student council principle.  During the course of the show, one boy learns her secret and works quietly to support her through various school events.  She doesn't understand his feelings for her and decides that he is a pervert that she owes her thanks to for his help at various school events.  He accepts her view, but hopes to change it over time.  He actually saves her life several times without her realizing fully the situation. 

At the end of the show, they are at the top of a building where the festival fireworks can be seen.  She does not recognize that her feelings for him is love, but does know that to be without him would be hard for her.  He realizes that she is realizing that she loves him and is grateful that his feelings for her is finally reaching her.  He makes the comment that has nagged at me since, and I think can be applied to the first part of this post's Biblical text.   He said, "You were suffering this whole time weren't you?"  He recognized that she, not understanding why she felt the way she did around him, was stressed and uncertain.  In an essence, she was suffering. 

Suffering comes in all forms.  Do not hesitate to pray to God for what is on your mind or heart, no matter how small or confusing it may seem to you.  Prayer is the way that you talk to God.  If you value a relationship with someone important to you, you talk to them and they to you.  God values the relationship that there is between you two.  He eager looks for ways to reach out to you.  I know He is super attentive to anything you say to Him with all the eagerness and love that our loving Lord has for us.  So even if you want to just scream about the unfairness of life, might as well say it to Someone who can do something to help you... you cares about you.

The second part of the text can be seen in the same way. 

If you are cheerful, sing psalms.  Sing praises to God!

When I am really happy, I find myself wanting to sing or listen to music.  Since my ability to sing is not the stellar sound that wins grammys, I have a tendency to listen instead.  However sometimes, when no one is around, nothing can keep me silent.

Cheerful doesn't have to mean though that something wonderful has happened or you had a life changing experience.  It can mean also that you are content with life.  That the day went well.  That life is good.  If you are in the cheerful mood, talk about why to God. 

One time I was chilling and saw a butterfly.  A simple thing but a definite joy nevertheless.  I can say with all certainty that I was cheerful in that moment and could have written my own psalm about it. 

Another time I was riding in a taxi from town back to the school I live and work at.  As we drove along, I looked out at the mountains trimmed with hills.  I smiled at the golden rays lighting both trees and sky.  The sight of my school up past the village filled me with eager joy.  Such a simple sight that can be seen every single day made me cheerful and that is an appropriate time to sing a psalm.

So don't hesitate to find some Christian music.  Play it with a smile.