Introduction: We all know how important prayer is in the life of a Christian, or at least we should.  If you have forgotten this foundation truth then maybe you need to be reminded by the wisdom of a small child.  A daily time of worship with God is very important. So much so that when we miss it others can tell.

 

Illustration: Such was the case when four-year-old Andrew made an honest mistake and spilled something in his house. His mother responded in a screaming tirade. The little psychologist made an astute observation: "Mommy, you forgot to ask Jesus to help you be nice today, didn't you?"

 

Illustration: One mother tried to instill in her children the need for prayer. A perfect opportunity for prayer arose one day in her older model family car. They were setting off on an errand when the old clunker refused to start. Seizing the moment, the mother turned to her four-year-old son and asked him to pray. Closing his eyes tightly, he prayed, "Dear Lord, please help this piece of junk start."

 

1. Yes, we can learn something of prayer from little children, but we can also learn much about prayer from a man who was known as “camel knees” - James, the author of the book we are studying.  Several times already in this epistle, James has spoken to our hearts about prayer.  We came across the subject for the first time in James 1:5-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.  James speaks again about prayer in James 4:2,3 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.  And now at the very end of his epistle James comes back to the subject of prayer.  James has covered many different practical subject matters in this book, but we will not be able to obey them and really put them to practice in our life as a Christian if we are not people of prayer who are close to our Lord.  James knows this and reminds his readers of this one more time.

 

2. Prayer is a special privilege for the child of God which those who are yet lost in their sins cannot enjoy and benefit from.  The shed blood of Jesus Christ has opened up a way with direct access to God’s very presence, and that way is never barred.  The believer can turn immediately to God through prayer for inspiration, peace, and power from the One who holds the universe in the palm of His hand, and orders all things in accordance with His sovereign will, with the assurance that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.’ (Romans 8:28).

 

3. The person outside of Christ, who does not know God, is without this privilege; and the result is that they tend to be overly elated in times of success and prosperity, and are plunged into depression and despair when they are the victim of hard circumstances (like destruction from a hurricane like Ivan).  It is nearly impossible for the unsaved person to meet these two extremes of life and treat them the same.  On the other hand, the Christian has the steadying influence of prayer and can say with the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:12,13 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

4. Our study from the Word of God this AM is aimed at helping us to imitate Paul in this ability to pray and praise God no matter what comes our way in life.

 

5. Let’s first examine the issue of praying during times of affliction.

 

I. IN TIMES OF AFFLICTION, LET US "PRAY" --James 5:13a

 

A. WHAT KIND OF AFFLICTION DOES JAMES REFER TO?

The word used refers to afflictions or sufferings of any kind.

 

1. There are natural afflictions such as storms, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.

2. There are physical afflictions (we’ll examine this more next week, Lord willing)

3. There are mental afflictions.  Many Christians are under great mental stress in their jobs and families.

 

4. There are the afflictions that come only to faithful believers.

Ø      James has already used this word in James 5:10 when using the prophets of the Old Testament as an example of those who suffered affliction and bore up under it with patience.  Of course, James’ point in that verse was to encourage the persecuted believers he was writing, to be patient in light of the fact that the Lord was coming back soon.

Ø      Paul uses the word in 2 Timothy 2:9 Wherein ( the gospel) I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.  Also in 2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

 

5. James will deal specifically with sickness in the following verses which we will study, Lord willing, next week.

 

B. FOR WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY?

1. James tells the readers and all believers to pray when they come into afflictions of any sort.  But for what should we pray?

 

2. For the REMOVAL of the suffering, if it be the Lord's will - Illustration: Paul in 2 Cor. 12:7-9 writes: And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

As Paul says, God has given him much revelation through the Holy Spirit and as a result has also given him a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble.  But before the realization of why God had allowed this affliction into his life, Paul had prayed on at least three occasions that the affliction be removed. God’s will was for it to stay.

 

3. For the STRENGTH to endure the suffering, if it be the Lord's will that we bear with it.

Ø      God may not always remove the source of our suffering, for it may be for our ultimate good (as we just learned from the example of Paul)

Ø      David also had learned the same thing that Paul and many others have learned while being afflicted - that God’s strength is sufficient Ps 119:71,75 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

 

C. FOR WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?

1. Certainly for ourselves, as implied in the illustrations already given.

 

2. It is also clear from the way this part of the verse is worded that we should be praying for other believers in our fellowship and church who are going through times of affliction.

 

3. But also for those who may be the source of our suffering

Ø      As Jesus taught in Luke 6:28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

Ø      Doing this can help greatly to endure the suffering

 

Application; So in times of affliction and suffering, let us pray!  It is a wonderful privilege to pray, and a great source of comfort when afflicted.

 

II. IN TIMES OF BEING MERRY, LET US "SING PSALMS"--James 5:13b

 

A. THE WORD "MERRY"...

1. It suggests a state of well-being of the mind and soul; of being cheerful and happy

 

2. Paul uses the word in Acts 27:22,25 in a very dangerous and trying situation - his ship is sinking during a terrible storm - And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.  The idea behind the usage of the word here is for all those on board the ship to take courage.

 

3. Cheerfulness or being merry in adversity can indeed be displayed by Christians, but I believe James is thinking here more of the cheerfulness that is unconnected from adversity.  Simply rejoicing because the Lord has been good.  Do you have times like that in your life?

 

B. IN SUCH A STATE OF MERRINESS, ONE SHOULD SING PSALMS!

You might be thinking right now, “Pastor, we are already doing that every Sunday AM when we sing from the Psalms.”  I trust that those times of sing the psalms will help us to obey what James is telling us in this verse.

 

1. The word “psalms” comes from the Greek word psallo and it originally meant to play by touching a stringed instrument, then to pluck a string, and finally to sing to the accompaniment of the harp, or to play a stringed instrument.  By the time of the early church and the writing of James the believers were not only singing the psalms but also hymns and spiritual songs (1 Cor. 14:26;Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16)

 

2. The singing of psalms or praises was and is pleasing to our Lord.  All we have to do to substantiate that statement is to go to the book of Psalms itself and see what it says about singing psalms and praises to God.

Ø      Psalm 92:1-2 “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: to shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.”

Ø      Psalm 96:1-2 “O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.”

Ø      Psalm 146:1-2 “Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.”

 

3. The singing of psalms, hymns and other spiritual songs has been the hallmark of true believers since the time of Christ.  That is why we have times of congregational singing.   The ancient Israelites who loved and worshipped God did so through the singing of the psalms.  There were even those who were skilled in music who prepared to sing during times of worship.

 

4. I believe James is referring to all this, but I also believe his focus is more on the personal, private times of worship of God by individual believers.  Of all people on this earth that should have joy in their heart at all times, it should be the child of God.  Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice evermore.”  Though we might be going through some circumstances that try our soul, we should also be able to rejoice in every situation.  If we are able to rejoice then there should also be a song in our heart unto the Lord.  That is the truth that Paul writes about in Ephesians 5:19, 20 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

 

C. WHY DON'T SOME CHRISTIANS SING PSALMS, HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS TO THE LORD?

1. Maybe they have not taken the time to draw nigh to God in their life (James 4:8) so they have been missing all that the Lord has for them.

 

2. Maybe they have not prayed while in the throes of affliction and, as a result, have allowed a root of bitterness to begin growing in their life.

 

3. Maybe they have never learned what God’s Word has to say about being merry.

Ø      Proverbs 15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Ø      Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

Ø      Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

 

4. Whatever the excuse there really is no excuse for the Christian to not have times of praising God with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in their heart unto the Lord!

 

5. You know, Heaven will be a place and is a place of singing praises to God.  Let me encourage you to get practiced up before you arrive there.  Consider carefully why you may not be singing psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs in your heart to God.  Whatever the reason, take it to the Lord in prayer, get support from the Word of God, and then begin rejoicing in what the Lord has, is, and will do in your life.

 

Conclusion: Singing praises to God is just as important as praying to God!  Perhaps our prayers would be answered more often, if we would praise God more often! A praying Christian will be a praising Christian! Let’s start obeying James 5:13