Good Advice in Times of Happiness or Trouble – James: Faith and Works, part 10
Troubled? Happy? Sick? This message is good advice for any situation. It’ll challenge you to take inventory of your spiritual condition and consider patience, perseverance, and prayer. We’ll also review the six precepts of faith, the keys to living a Godly life, and the secret to mastering temptation. God is with you. Do you trust him?
Today, James encourages us to wait on the Lord and continue to pray. Waiting on God and praying in faith are powerful actions! Prayer is more than a one-time event; it’s a lifestyle of communication with God. Patience and prayer go hand-in-hand. Be patient, pray and know God is on your side and you can call to him in faith.
Faith In God – Waiting and Praying Reveals Dependence on God
6 Precepts of Faith & Keys to a Godly Life
We have been in the book of James for weeks, and we have learned these six precepts of faith:
Faith calls us to obey the word of God.
Faith removes favoritism.
Faith is displayed in our works and deeds.
Faith calls us to have a tight rein on our tongue.
Faith trusts God’s wisdom.
Faith resists worldliness.
The keys to resisting worldliness and living a Godly life are found in:
Submitting yourself to God.
Resisting the devil.
Approaching God.
Washing your hands and purifying your hearts.
Grieving your unfaithfulness.
Rejoicing in the Lord.
Humbling yourselves before the Lord; He will lift you up.
Patience & Prayer Are Powerful!
Today, James encourages us to wait on the Lord and continue to pray. Waiting on God and praying in faith are two of the most powerful actions any believer can do. As we wait on the Lord, we display our trust and faith in the Lord. As we learn to pray expectantly, we proclaim our faith and assurance in God and that God will answer. As we Pray and wait upon the Lord, we are displaying our dependence on God Almighty and on Jesus our Savior.
We read in James 5 that James confronts those who have chosen to trust in the world’s riches. Many have trusted in the riches and embraced a lifestyle of worldliness that ignores God Almighty all together.
We might say that there are five types of lifestyles:
The person who has limited wealth but rich in their relationship with God Almighty.
The person who is rich in both their finances and in their relationship with God Almighty.
A person who is poverty stricken yet rich in the Lord and the knowledge of God Almighty.
The person who is poverty stricken regarding riches in the world and who is also poverty stricken regarding spiritual things and life eternal.
Finally, the person who is wealthy regarding the things of the world and is completely spiritually bankrupt regarding God Almighty, the truth of the Gospel and eternal life.
It is my prayer that each of you know Christ as Lord and savior and that you know and understand the truth of God Almighty more and more. Your past doesn’t matter. What matters is the present and your eternal future in Christ. I want to challenge you to take inventory of your spiritual condition and consider what James has written in this last chapter of James to believers.
“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you” (James 5:1-6, NIV).
What will you believe? Whom will you follow?
There are people everywhere who trust in worldly riches. In the end, they’ll lose everything; it’ll erode, rot, and fall apart. The things that they have produced by their own ability and have stored up over the course of life will not stand up to time. Possessions that they have acquired will one day become old and useless. Wealth that was built up over time and horded will diminish and be worthless over time. All such worldly wealth and possessions will perish and do nothing for the person regarding what truly matters: eternity. These things will all come to nothing.
Remember in scripture the man who had much and choose to build bigger barns to store his wealth and grain? He died wealthy, yet was poverty stricken spiritually for all eternity (see Luke 12:18-21).
The days of taking advantage of spiritually righteous believers as well as other individuals will end abruptly one day. The fact is that both the worldly and Godly person will hear the message of the gospel. Both will need to decide regarding who and what they will believe and follow: the god of this world or God Almighty and have faith in Jesus as their savior.
What will you believe? Whom will you follow? The wisdom of this world or the wisdom of God from above? James warns the unbeliever that all the worldly riches will one day fail them. James warns the rich and worldly individuals who are following the selfish desires of their heart in verses 1-6 that a day of judgement will come one day and everything they held so tightly will fail. The religious person who embraces a spiritually adulterous lifestyle and chooses to ignore the warning signs will have no excuse. In the end they will find themselves wanting, without an excuse and far from God Almighty. Not so for the person who prays and waits upon the Lord. This person will rejoice and be blessed for all eternity.
Then James turns to address the believer. James warns of the limited success and pleasures that the world promotes and that it will all come to nothing, and he encourages the believer to be patient and trust the Lord.
‘Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned’ (James 5:7-12).
James tells us to wait upon the Lord. Be Patient. No matter the situation. No matter the pain. No matter the suffering. No matter how things may look in the present be patient, wait upon the Lord and do not doubt. Know that God is God and that you are loved.
Obedience When No One Is Looking
James tells us to consider and remember those who have trusted God in the past, such as Job. Job may be the best example of anyone in scripture who was patient. Job who experienced pain and suffering. Job who experienced the loss of everything he once owned, his health, his possessions, along with the loss of all his children. Job who was thought to have done wrong by his friends and his wife, underwent humiliation and yet he remained faithful to God Almighty. Job persevered under pressure and was lifted up and blessed of the Lord because of his faith, trust and patience regarding all his troubles.
In the last chapter of Job, he makes this profession:
‘“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted”’ (Job 42:2).
Job knew and trusted God. Having experienced all he did, Job still trusted God Almighty even in his time of loss and suffering. Job’s wife encouraged Job to just curse God and die. But Job refused and trusted God with all his heart. Job could say boldly:
‘“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”’ (Job 42:5-6).
Job humbled himself, repented and waited upon God Almighty. Having patience and waiting upon the Lord has its reward. Job was blessed abundantly with more than he once had. The book of Job ends with these words: “And so Job died, an old man and full of years” (Job 42:17). Those few words, Job died, old and full of years, speak of a life well lived.
Joseph is another person who trusted God and who remained faithful. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused and put in prison, and forgotten about and ignored by the cup bearer who he had helped while in prison. In all, Joseph was in jail for 10-12 years before being raised up to be second in authority in all of Egypt (Genesis 37, 39-45). From the time Joseph was sold into slavery, and even before that, God was watching over Joseph.
Yes, both Joseph and Job suffered loss. Joseph’s life was not fun being sold into slavery, falsely accused, and then placed in prison. But God was with Joseph as God was also with Job. Joseph was obedient when no one was looking, and he waited on God, and was blessed. Did Joseph have an easy life? Did Job have an easy life? No. Both Joseph and Job were patient and they waited upon the Lord.
Let us be patient, in this life, trusting in God Almighty and looking forward to the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Waiting On the Lord Is Powerful
Let us wait upon the Lord and know that our strength will be renewed.
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31, KJV).
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14, NIV).
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Waiting on the Lord is powerful. It is choosing to stand on the promises of God no matter the current situation. Waiting on the Lord means trusting in God who is the only one who can speak life into lifeless situations. Do you trust God Almighty and Jesus as Lord and savior? Decide today to wait patiently on the Lord. Trust him with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all things; turn to the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to you (Proverbs 3:5-8).
Remember, trusting in the Lord is better than hoping that your way is better, because it’s not. Our way will always fall short.
Prayer is Powerful
In the remainder verses of James, we are encouraged to pray.
“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (James 5:13-20).
James tells us:
Are you in trouble? Pray.
Are you happy? Pray.
Are you sick? Pray.
In other words, James is telling the believer to pray in every circumstance. That is good sound advice. In Good times and in difficult times. Pray. In times of rejoicing and times of sorrow. Pray. In times of need and time of plenty, we should always pray without ceasing and wait upon the Lord. We should be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Prayer is communicating with God Almighty. It is telling the one who loves you that you love him. It is calling on the one who loves you and who can meet your needs no matter how impossible the situation may be. It is how we share our hearts and pains of the day and how we seek guidance from the Lord for the day ahead when we don’t know which way to turn.
Prayer is not for the faint of heart. What is prayer for?
It is a time of admitting and confession of sin.
It is a time of seeking the mercy, grace, and forgiveness of God.
It is a time to bring before the Lord your needs and the needs of others.
It is a time of expectation and faith in God and in his ability to do mighty things knowing that he is able to do.
It is also a time of waiting and listening for the Lord’s direction and wisdom.
Prayer is also a time of waiting before the Lord, patiently looking and seeking the answer.
There is a story of Elijah when he prayed for rain. James reminds us of Elijah’s prayer and his steadfastness of faith in prayer. James reminds us that Elijah was a man just like us. Elijah prays and tells his servant to look for a sign of rain. Seven times Elijah told his servant to look for a sign of rain. Elijah, with his face towards the ground and between his knees, prays. Elijah humbly prays and God answered, “The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea’” (1 Kings 18:43-44).
Prayer is more than a one-time event. The answer may not be immediate. The answer is, however, on the way. God’s timing is always perfect. He loves you with and everlasting Love. Be patient, pray and know God is on your side and you can call to him in faith.
Prayer is a lifestyle. Prayer should be a matter of daily action. Prayer matters. Patience and prayer go hand in hand. Patience and prayer are two of the most powerful things a person of faith can do no matter the circumstance. They both speak of dependence on God Almighty and in Jesus as Lord and savior.
For James, patience is waiting on the Lord and prayer is calling out in faith to God Almighty. Prayer and waiting patiently illustrates to all the world of the believer’s faith, trust, and love for God Almighty.
Mastering Temptation With Patience and Prayer
Today is not much different than when James first wrote this letter. Trials and temptations have not changed much. Selfish desires, envy, evil intentions, sinful motives still tempt us and cause us trials of every kind, even like in the days of Cain and Able, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4:6-7).
We will only master temptation and sin when we place our faith in Jesus as we wait patiently on God Almighty and pray in the Holy Spirit.
When we choose to live a Godly lifestyle, we strive not to sin and stumble. However, when we do sin, we commit spiritually adultery. But we can go to the Lord in prayer and confess our sin, knowing that he is faithful to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness as we turn back to God and wait patiently on Jesus’ soon return.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:10-11).
Jesus, the good shepherd, died that you might be saved.
Prayer & Patience - He Hears You
In society today and during this present darkness and chaos, shines the ever-present light of Christ. His glory, power, and majesty will not fade away. And someday Jesus will return for his bride—the church, you. Hebrews 3 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert” (Hebrews 3:7-8).
No matter the season in life, choose to wait patiently on the Lord, and as you wait upon him, pray. Do not harden your hearts. Pray without ceasing and wait patiently. Believe, pray, and know God is sovereign over all. Pray and wait patiently without doubting. Know that he hears you when you call out to him. Remember: his timing is perfect, his plan is perfect, his will is perfect, his love for you is perfect.
‘”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”’ (Jeremiah 29:11).
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