The dominant theme of verses 13-18 is prayer, which is mentioned seven times in six verses.
James begins by asking a question to which he already knows the answer: "is any among you afflicted?" All hands are raised on that one. Indeed, James has been talking about affliction and trials throughout his letter.
What is the proper response to affliction? Pray. Again, to our ears that seems obvious. Of course, we pray! Or do we? Do we pray as often in the small trials as in the earth-shattering afflictions? And do we pray the right kinds of prayers? In the face of afflictions, we tend to only pray for relief, but in the context of the book of James, the priority is to pray for wisdom in dealing with the trial, and especially for patience. It is also necessary and proper to pray prayers of thanksgiving, intercession (remembering others in our own troubles), imprecation and lament.
Then James encourages us to sing when we are cheerful, however, he is not indicating that the situation in which we sing is the opposite of trials. The only other use of the word "merry" is used when Paul encourages his shipmates to be cheerful in the face of certain shipwreck. It is not our emotional state that dictates whether we sing, but our faith and hope in our Lord.
What kind of songs do we sing? Not ones to jump start our emotions. We are to sing songs or praise to our God, just like Paul and Silas sang at midnight following a beating for bearing the name of Christ. Songs that glorified the Lord, witnessed the faith to fellow prisoners and encouraged themselves.
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.
