“Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; Praise him, O ye servants of the LORD. Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, In the courts of the house of our God, Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: Sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, And Israel for his peculiar treasure. For I know that the LORD is great, And that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, In the seas, and all deep places. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain; He bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.”
Psalm 135:1-7 KJV,https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.135.1-7.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 ...