Turn to the Lord

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. — James 5:13

Where does your mind go when you are suffering? Who do you turn to? What do you do when you are cheerful? Who do you turn to when things are going well? 

As we examine James’ letter, we see that we should always turn to God, regardless of what we are going through. If you are suffering, you should pray. Do you turn to prayer when you suffer? We often pray when things go terribly wrong or when we are at the end of our rope. However, how much suffering or hardship do we endure before we turn to prayer? How many difficult situations do we try and handle on our own before we take them to the Lord in prayer? We need to take all things to God in prayer whether the suffering seems small or great. So many times in my life I have tried to handle things on my own before I go to God in prayer. We will not properly handle or deal with suffering if we are not relying on God in prayer.

How do you respond when things are going well? We are often prone to go to God more quickly when things are going poorly, but do we go to God when we are experiencing good things? Just as we should go to Him when we suffer, we also need to praise Him when things are going well. I was thinking about that idea this week, as we had the opportunity, like many of you, to see the northern lights. I got the privilege of seeing them with my daughter on our way back from a basketball practice because my wife, Nataly, had let us know they would be visible. When I told Selah, she didn’t get her hopes up too high since we had unsuccessfully gone out to look for them three other times in the past couple of years. However, on our way back, we took a back road, and the northern lights were out and bright! Seeing the joy on Selah’s face and her excitement as she looked in wonder at God’s creation was an amazing experience as a father. After taking our time gazing at the sky, we gave thanks to God for allowing us to actually see the northern lights. The fact that we had failed to see the northern lights 3 previous times made this time even more special. It was a reminder to me that we need to turn to God regardless of the situation. Too often, I forget to praise God for His love, faithfulness, and mighty works. 

Sometimes we may spend weeks, months, or years praying for something, and then when it is answered, we thank the Lord once and move on. We should continually praise Him for what He has done, for the answers to prayer, the victories won. It is good for us to think back and meditate on His faithfulness. The Psalms continue to praise the Lord for the works He accomplished for His people. Psalm 136 is a beautiful example of recounting all that God did for them and praising Him for his faithful love. 

It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever;

and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever;

he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. — Psalm 136:23-26

This week bring your cares to the Lord in prayer and praise Him for all He has done and will continue to do.

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.— Hebrews 13:15