“The desire of the righteous is only good: But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: And he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: But he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: But the righteous shall flourish as a branch. He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: And the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that winneth souls is wise. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: Much more the wicked and the sinner.”
Proverbs 11:23-31 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.11.23-31.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 ...