“Israel also came into Egypt; And Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And he increased his people greatly; And made them stronger than their enemies. He turned their heart to hate his people, To deal subtilly with his servants. He sent Moses his servant; And Aaron whom he had chosen. They shewed his signs among them, And wonders in the land of Ham. He sent darkness, and made it dark; And they rebelled not against his word. He turned their waters into blood, And slew their fish. Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, In the chambers of their kings. He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, And lice in all their coasts.”
Psalm 105:23-31 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.105.23-31.KJV
Responding to God at All Times
Throughout our lives, we will all experience both suffering and joy. We'll have times of great grief and times of overflowing happiness. Sometimes, they’ll be separate seasons—but other times, these experiences come together.
In either case and in any situation, James expected Christians to come to God. If someone was suffering, prayer was the call to action. If someone was cheerful, people were to pause and praise God.
This might seem obvious, but when suffering clouds our thinking, we can sometimes forget to prioritize prayer. And when things are going well and we're feeling cheerful, it’s easy to just enjoy our season and not stop long enough to praise God for it. But every season of life is actually just an opportunity to put into practice what James wrote about…
When we are suffering, let us pray. When those around us are suffering, let us pray. When we are cheerful or happy, let us praise God. When others are happy, let us praise God with ...