Pray and sing

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. – James 5.13

What a nice passage for a Sunday morning before church. As we prepare to head off to our worship service and fellowship let us take two little thoughts to heart. 

If anyone is suffering let him pray

If anyone if cheerful let him sing

I like this simple reminder. God doesn’t take our suffering lightly. He doesn’t just ignore it. When we are suffering He tells us to pray. The very fact that the perfect and holy all powerful creator of heavens and earth would invite me, the chiefest of sinners, to pray is an amazing fact. 

We need not suffer alone. We have hope. We can pray to the God of All-Comfort and depend on Him and His perfect will. That knowledge ought to give us great comfort. 

And when we are cheerful we ought to sing. 

Singing is a major part of worship. It is something we are called on to do. Singing not only honours God and blesses our hearts, it is a way to minister to each other. While we make ‘melody in our hearts to the Lord’ (Ephesians 5.19) we also ‘teach and admonish each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs’ (Galatians 5.15). 

So as we assemble this morning lets pray with the suffering and lets us sing with the cheerful that we may truly serve and minister to each other. 

And don’t worry about whether or not you have a ‘good’ singing voice. After all, God said ‘make a joyful NOISE to the Lord.’