James 5:13
“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Closing his letter with teaching on prayer, James shows that every season of life, whether painful or joyful, is to be brought to God.
What Does James 5:13 Mean?
James offers simple, direct counsel for two opposite seasons of life. When you are suffering, pray; when you are cheerful, sing praise. The common thread is that both extremes of experience are meant to be turned Godward. Neither hardship nor happiness is to be lived apart from him.
The first question, "Is any among you afflicted?" addresses the one weighed down by trouble or hardship. The remedy is prayer -- not despair, not bitterness, but bringing the burden to God. The second question, "Is any merry?" addresses the one whose heart is glad. The fitting response is to "sing psalms," to express that joy in praise to God rather than treating good times as merely our own. Together these cover the full range of the believer's emotional life. In sorrow we draw near to God for help; in gladness we draw near to God in thanks. James will go on to speak more about prayer in the verses that follow, but he begins here with this beautiful symmetry. Every condition of the heart has a Godward answer. The suffering pray; the joyful sing; and in both, the believer keeps company with the Lord through whatever the day brings.
In the Original Language
The word "afflicted" is kakopatheo, to suffer hardship or trouble; "sing psalms" renders psallo, to sing praise, originally to pluck a stringed instrument.
Cross References
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
- James 5:16
“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
- Psalm 50:15
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
- Philippians 4:6
Application
Bring both your burdens and your joys to God: when troubled, turn to prayer; when glad, turn to praise, keeping every season in his presence.