![]() And so, it became a figure of speech for playing or singing music. The word James uses for “psalms” literally means “to move by a touch or a twitch”, and it was usually applied to the action of striking a string on a musical instrument. James characterizes this by urging us to “sing praises”-that is, to give God thanks, and to exalt Him in our times of happiness and joy, with songs of praise. ![]() We’re to turn those happy times into a sanctuary of praise and worship. The word James uses for “cheerful” simply means to be “merry” or “of good spirits” To truly practice the presence of God means that we make the presence and the help of Christ paramount in our thoughts-even in happy times and not forget Him in them. To truly practice Christ’s presence, means to turn to our Lord in both the good times and the bad.ī. He goes on to say, “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” Some Christians are more prone to turn to God and appeal to Him during the happy times than during the times of trial and conversely, some of us are more prone to turn to God and appeal to Him during the times of trial than at the times when things are going well. Let me glorify You and please You in this trial.’” That’s truly ‘practicing’ His presence!Ī. With You on my side, I have nothing to fear! I cast this burden upon You. How grateful I am for Your great love to me, and for Your mighty hand upon me. How grateful I am that You’re in control. It’s as if, then, James is asking believers, “Is anyone among you suffering? Then here is my pastoral advice to you: Turn to your ever-present, ever-loving, all-powerful Lord, open your mouth, and say, ‘Dear Lord and Master how grateful I am that You’re here with me in this trial. God often allows troubles and trials in our lives for no other reason than so that we will learn to call upon Him in faith and be able to give Him praise because He proved Himself faithful!ī. The promises in God’s own word that motivate us to this (1 Peter 5:6-7 James 1:5 Psalm 50:15 Proverbs 16:3). James begins by asking, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” The word that he uses for “suffering” means “to suffer hardship or affliction.” It’s not so much a matter of suffering in general but of enduring hardship that comes from an external and, sometimes, even a malicious source-the circumstance of troubles and trials that are outside the sphere of our control (see 2 Timothy 2:3, 9 4:5). Note how we’re to practice the presence of Christ. The significance of this passage is revealed if you were to answer this question: “What would your life look like if you were to continually lived every moment as though Jesus Christ was always present with you wherever you went and as if His divine power was always fully available to help you no matter what you encountered?” The answer, of course, is that your life would look like what is described in this passage. Do we really need to be told something so elemental as to pray when we’re suffering, or to sing praise songs when we’re happy?Īnd yet, there really isn’t a set of pastoral admonitions that are more beneficial to us to carefully observe than what we find this morning’s section of James’ letter. (Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)Īt first glance, the point that James makes in this section of his letter seems strangely unnecessary. Theme: We are to ‘practice’ God’s presence in the various issues of life. Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on Septemunder AM Bible Study | GOD’S PRESENCE IN PRACTICE – James 5:13-16
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