Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone merry? Let him sing psalms. [James 5:13, MEV]
One has to wonder at times what God is thinking by stating the obvious. Then again, sometimes the obvious isn't quite as obvious as we might think. As Christians we sometimes get so wrapped up in the call to be joyful in our adversity, such as Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12, that we come to expect people to act that way all the time. Contrary to what many have come to believe, when we're in pain, it's okay to say "ouch." When we're sad, it's okay to cry. When we're hurting, it's okay to seek relief. When we're happy, it's okay to break out in song. Let's not try to pretend that we don't have real emotional responses to real happenings of life. God never intended for us to do that. What He does intend that we would have proper, healthy responses, and that we'd never forget that He is with us no matter what happens.
One has to wonder at times what God is thinking by stating the obvious. Then again, sometimes the obvious isn't quite as obvious as we might think. As Christians we sometimes get so wrapped up in the call to be joyful in our adversity, such as Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12, that we come to expect people to act that way all the time. Contrary to what many have come to believe, when we're in pain, it's okay to say "ouch." When we're sad, it's okay to cry. When we're hurting, it's okay to seek relief. When we're happy, it's okay to break out in song. Let's not try to pretend that we don't have real emotional responses to real happenings of life. God never intended for us to do that. What He does intend that we would have proper, healthy responses, and that we'd never forget that He is with us no matter what happens.
