James 5:13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
These are two opposite experiences we often face: trouble and happiness. Trouble seems to follow us all. The question is, what will we do about it? The choice will be up to us. The common humanistic response is to complain. We complain about what causes the trouble or we pass the blame on to someone close by so that we do not need to carry the burden ourselves. We are very crafty with that. A better response is to pray. Peter put it this way: “ Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). We can bring our troubles and cares to God. We will find mercy and grace at His throne (Hebrews 4:16). The next verse will show that supporting one another is prayer is a powerful way to overcome the troubles we face.
We rejoice when we are happy. Life is not meant to be always in trouble. God wants to bless us in this life with many good things. As James wrote earlier in this letter, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). Much of the pain of life is a consequence of our own choices, sin, or accidents. We can find happiness even in our troubles because “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Our response to God’s care can be expressed through songs of praise. We often learn these as we gather as church. We learn “psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
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