‘’Let him pray’’ When James wrote ‘is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms’; he was providing a simple solution to a big problem - James 5:13. He contrasted two situations - one of happiness and another of sadness and was advising what should be done in either. Even though praying and singing may apply to different situations, they are actually the same solution because they are both directed to one person – God, the Creator of man. Why is God the receiver of man’s pain and man’s praise? Because as the Creator of man’s spirit, soul and body, He is in a better position to know when His product is performing and when it is malfunctioning. If man malfunctions in his life and undergoes an affliction, only His maker can have the best solution. No one can service a product better than its manufacturer and no one knows his creation better than God. Indeed all other professions are still consulting but the Creator has been repairing. So when the Creator tells his product [man] that in happiness sing and in sadness pray; He is referring to His own service-manual. He knows that if we don’t release merriment through singing to Him we will find other outlets which only give glory to the enemy. So he exhorts that when merry release it to Me who created the emotion of happiness. The same service-manual offers a solution for the product [man] undergoing affliction. The term afflicted refers to one undergoing distressing hardship or suffering through some trouble. Such a man should go to Him who has the original spare-parts to balm and grease him back to ease - Jer_8:22 and Jer_46:11 So prayer is the way a man reports to His Creator-Mechanic for major or minor service. Through prayer, a man makes known to his Creator the areas in him which needs service. That is why James did not have much to say to anyone who is afflicted except to tell him to pray. God could have had James write that a man afflicted should seek help; or look for another man with a solution; or even unburden his problems to someone who cares to hear – but He simply said ‘’let him pray’’. This is God’s simple solution to the man in affliction – let him pray. Pray.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 12:04:56 +0000
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