Daily Verse: James 5:13-14

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 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.

 

It’s common that when we are in a fix…when we are in the midst of some kind of struggle…we turn to God in prayer, requesting his help, wisdom, and strength. We are in need of some kind of rescue and resolution, and it only makes sense that we turn to prayer, requesting God’s presence in our lives. But when times are good…when everything is sailing along smoothly and life is easy, do we turn to God with that same sense and urgency? Are we passionately driven to request God’s presence in our lives, to be a part of the joy that we are experiencing? The text above confirms that God is to be included in every part of our lives…both the lows AND the highs. When our burdens are small and our lives are overflowing with joyful experiences, we are called to turn to God…giving credit where credit is due. What a privileged people we are to be so individually cherished by the Creator that he actually WANTS to be a part of our lives. The very God of everything that exists…the one that created every piece of this earth and crafted every life that has every walked it’s soil…actually WANTS to be at the center of our regular, ordinary, mundane little lives. It seems illogical and hard to grasp, yet it is incredibly real! If you need evidence that you are immeasurably cherished in the eyes of the Creator, look no further than Jesus and the sacrifice that he made for you and me. What an honor, privilege, and incredible blessing it is to place God at the center of our lives each day! To God be the glory!