Tag: trouble

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James

A faith that prays

praying faith

As I said before, a lot of James at first glance seems disjointed, but the more that I’ve read this book, the more I’ve come to see the overall flow of it.

And here James comes back to an idea that he started in chapter 1, prayer in the midst of trouble.

In chapter 1, he said that if you are going through trial to ask God for wisdom, but to ask in faith. Faith that God is good. Faith that God’s way is best.

Now he comes returns to this thought, saying,

Is any of you in trouble? He should pray. (James 5:13)

Pray for what? Pray for wisdom and pray for help. But again, we need to pray believing in the essential goodness of God. Because if you doubt that, your prayers will be totally ineffective. (1:5-6)

But we shouldn’t just pray when we’re in trouble. James tells us,

Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

It’s easy to remember God in our times of trouble. But do we remember him in the good times as well?

Do we thank him for his goodness? That’s part of faith too. Believing that every good and perfect gift comes from him. (1:17)

James then returns to the idea of praying through trials, saying,

Is any of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. (James 5:14-15a)

This is no guarantee of healing, no matter what some people may say. Paul himself prayed for people who didn’t get well. (II Timothy 4:20, for example).

But nevertheless, if we are sick, James says to pray and to have the leaders of the church pray for you as well.

The oil was either a symbol of the Holy Spirit’s work in healing, or it was used as an ointment for healing.

Again, though, the idea is that through prayer, we express our faith in God. By praying, we put ourselves in the hands of God to heal…or not, trusting that whatever he chooses to do is best.

There are times, however, when sickness is the result of sin. And so James says,

If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed. (James 5:15-16)

It calls to mind the time Jesus healed the paralytic in Mark 2. Before dealing with his physical ailment, Jesus dealt with his sin.

I’m not saying that all sickness is the result of sin. But there are many people, for example, who have suffered physical ailments because of bitterness and unforgiveness in their hearts. And by dealing with their sin first, their physical ailments were also healed.

That’s another reason James says to pray when you are sick or troubled. Prayer can reveal these kinds of spiritual issues and bring healing to them.

He concludes by saying,

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man like us.

He prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. (James 5:16-17)

In short, never think prayer is a waste of time. That it is ineffective.

Even for the “ordinary” person, if we come to God in faith, prayer can accomplish great things. Not because we’re speaking some magic formula or incantation. But because the God we pray to is great.

And when we trust him, he can accomplish great things in us and through us.

How about you? Do you sometimes think prayer is a waste of time? Or do you have the faith to pray in the good times and bad?

Categories
Psalms

Guarding our hearts in times of trouble

Psalms

Solomon once wrote “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  (Proverbs 4:23)

This is always true, of course, but especially in times of trouble.  And Solomon’s father David certainly had his share of it.

Yet in his times of trouble, we can see why God called him a man after his own heart.

He starts out the psalm by crying out for God’s help.  And in doing so, we see where he placed his trust.  Not in his own wisdom and strength to get him through his problems.

Rather, he said,

 I put my trust in you.  (Psalm 86:4)

Then he turns his thoughts to the nature of the God in whom he trusted.  He prayed,

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.

When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.  (5-7)

In other words, “In spite of my problems, I know that you care for me.  And that you are good.  What’s more, I believe you will answer me when I call.”

I suppose as Christians, we should all believe these things, but when we’re facing trials, it’s easy for doubt to creep into our hearts.  But despite his problems, David held fast to these truths.

He then focused on the greatness of God.  On how God was so much greater than his problems.  He sang,

Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.

All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.

For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.  (8-10)

After focusing on God’s greatness, David turned to his own heart.  And he prayed,

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.  (11)

The new NIV (which to be honest, I don’t particularly care for — bring back version ’84, Zondervan!) puts it, 

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness.

I think this verse is so important as we face trials in our lives.  Life’s problems can tend to cause our hearts to fray and unravel.

But David prays in the midst of trial, “Lord, teach me your way.  Give me a heart that’s undivided.  A heart that’s united (NASB) in its desire to follow you.  May I walk in your truth and trust in your faithfulness in spite of all I’m going through.”

That’s the attitude we need to have too.  To never lose focus or trust in God.  But to have a heart that’s totally united in its desire to follow him.

Let us be like David, constantly focusing on God and his goodness and his faithfulness toward us, even in times of trouble.  Like him, let’s continue praising him singing,

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your love toward me.  (12-13)

Categories
Zechariah

Purified

Zechariah

In this passage, it continues talking about the repentance of the Jews. That during the last days, by God’s grace and the blood of the one they had pierced two thousand years ago, they will be purified and cleansed from their sins.

All idolatry and all the false prophets will be wiped out from the land, and it will truly be a land holy to the Lord.

But before that could happen, the Good Shepherd had to be struck, and the flock scattered.

That’s exactly what happened to Jesus. He was arrested, and all his followers fled. He was mocked, whipped, beaten, and ultimately crucified.

And because the Jews had rejected their Savior, God’s hand fell against them, and their nation was destroyed.

Even so, God’s grace continues to shine through. Though many Jews will perish, there will be a remnant of those who will follow the Messiah, and God says of them,

This third I will put into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.

They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’ (Zechariah 13:9)

God never does promise that we won’t go through times of trial and trouble. In fact, Jesus warned us, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33)

But God will use them to refine us and make us into the pure ones he created us to be. And when we call on him, he will answer.