Many of us are in the midst of or have finished "James, Mercy Triumphs" by Beth Moore.
One of my favorite scriptures has to be James 5:13 & 14.
"Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray.
Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
Is anyone sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord."
If you are suffering, have you prayed?
Suffering of any kind will more than likely bring us to our knees.
But, if it hasn't, don't be shy... just do it!
If you are cheerful, have you sung praises?
That's my favorite. A friend used to say that prising was the most underused weapon in our spiritual arsenal. If you are cheerful, stop and praise Him that you aren't suffering or sick.
That's usually what I do even during the suffering too.
One of my favorite memories of praising during a sick and suffering time was in 2007 while my dad was in the hospital because of his Stage 4, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Daddy had taken a trip down the hall for some sort of test. Perfect time to pull out the ipod and set it to shuffle. That way I let God take charge of our song selection. I was hoping no one would open the door.
They didn't.
We were good to go.
With shoes off and volume wide open, I worshipped with complete abandon. As the music played, I also prayed for all those who were and had been occupying the rooms all over the hospital, for doctors, for grace, for those who had no hope to discover the giver of hope, for healing. I danced around the room pointing and declaring. It was a time I'll never forget. Don't know if it made a difference, but my dad recently had a PET scan and all is well.
But as far as being cheerful and praising, have you ever had to pull over on the side of the road when you saw something so beautiful, you felt like it was something God had planned just for you?
Or have you ever performed a ballet number for him right in the middle of your kitchen, maybe under the stars on your back porch? You don't know what you are missing if you haven't. And I have the perfect song for such.
So, don't be shy... just do it! ( I dare you!)
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