The Trouble/Happiness Connection // James 5:13
Is prayer your first step or last resort? All too often we face crises with the approach, “I have nothing left to do but pray.” What if prayer was the first, last, and every step in between? Then, we can find hope and happiness no matter what we encounter. The idea of happiness can be fleeting, because it’s often seen in light of our circumstances. But, if we look at it through the lens of faith, we can find hope and happiness in anything! Take, for example, how Jesus gave the Beatitudes in The Sermon on the Mount. We read those statements as “blessed are” in our more traditional translations, but there is also a way to read it where Jesus said we can be happy if bad things happen, because those things can draw us closer to God and His help. So, look for the trouble/happiness connection and find Christ at the center of it. When He is there — and He always is — then we can sing those songs of praise that the Lord uses as weapons against evil.
