James 5:13
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
I once heard a well-known preacher tell the story of a young woman who said she often didn’t feel like praying. His response was that prayer is not a glandular condition! Prayer is something we need to do whatever our feelings. That’s precisely the point that James is making here. In short, it’s always the right time to pray – whether you are going through a good or a bad time.
God doesn’t want us to pray as if we need to find the right magic words and then we can forget about Him until the next time we have to say a few prayers. He wants a relationship with us within which we fully share the ups and downs of life.
I love that the Bible doesn’t present us with a line of holy people who always got it right. The Bible is almost the opposite of that! It tells us the story of people who struggled and often failed. And amid it all we see how those frail and failed human beings discovered that God loved them and had a purpose for their lives.
God doesn’t want us to be religious people who say beautiful prayers and then shut Him out. He wants us to live what might best be described as a life of prayer.
Question
What steps could you take to share more of your life with God in prayer?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that You love me so much that You want to share every aspect of life with me. Amen

Released on 7 Oct 2026