“Princes have persecuted me without a cause: But my heart standeth in awe of thy word. I rejoice at thy word, As one that findeth great spoil. I hate and abhor lying: But thy law do I love. Seven times a day do I praise thee Because of thy righteous judgments. Great peace have they which love thy law: And nothing shall offend them. LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation, And done thy commandments. My soul hath kept thy testimonies; And I love them exceedingly. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: For all my ways are before thee.”
Psalm 119:161-168 KJV,https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.119.161-168.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 ...