Faith and circumstances

1. Faith and Circumstances – 18th
January 2016
“Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death
and cover over a multitude of sins”(James 5:20).
Each one of us face circumstances that present trouble, times of suffering and sadness. In the
same way we will experience great times of happiness and Joy. There are circumstances – both
good and bad - that can occur without any prior warning. We can learn from the apostle James
when he tells us “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them
sing songs of praise” (James 5:13). We must learn to refer to trouble as ‘trials’ because as
Christians we can learn from them and overcome them through the mighty God that we believe
in, without allowing depression to take control. James also says to take joy in trials because
they produce perseverance which God uses to mature and complete us so we don’t lack
anything. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3).
In the bible we see that most of the writers went through extreme suffering. The apostle Paul
also suffered. But Paul told Timothy that he was going to suffer and that he should endure.
Being a Christian and following the Lord’s will does not mean that we will not suffer. On the
contrary, it for sure means we will suffer in this life. Paul also told Timothy that: “In fact,
everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”(2 Timothy 3:12). That
is one of the reasons that the Lord has given us the ability to speak to Him, to pray… seek His
favor. He enables this so that we will turn to God in times of trouble and suffering.
We need to learn to have faith and rely on Him and steadfastly believe that He is able to
strengthen us for our ultimate benefit as it matures and completes us. We must learn from the
bible that God is there for us and is able to give us peace in the midst of circumstances that
creates suffering in our lives. We can learn from Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. Therefore as Christians that have faith, we should
consciously depend on praying to Him when facing trouble and suffering. Because when we do,
God is glorified as we experience peace in the midst of it when the rest of the world would be
complaining and whining.
But the million dollar question is “How do you deal with trouble? Are you responding to it in
prayer seeking God’s assistance or do you simply use your tongue complaining about it? That is
a test to show us areas we may need to grow in or maybe even, it is showing us the reality, or
falseness, of our own faith. A Christian of Faith who is happy should praise God for His
provision. We can learn from James 5:13, “ Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise”The
word translated as songs of praise is where we also get the word Psalms, which are pieces of
music or sacred songs. At times songs can express our emotions in ways that mere words

2. cannot. And for the most part, singing is joyful. But we shouldn’t just sing. We should be singing
songs of praise to Him who is the Sovereign God, the One that has poured out blessing in our
life in such a way that we are blessed and recognize it. God is the provider of every good and
perfect gift. He is the One who meets our needs when we seek his kingdom and righteousness.
He is the One who paid the price for our sins so we might experience eternal life.
It is when we focus on His love and what He has done in providing for our needs and salvation
from our sin and sinfulness, our times of suffering can change to times of joy and happiness and
it makes our hearts want to sing. We can read from Acts 16 where Paul and Silas were in a
Philippians Jail. Before being thrown in Jail they were severely flogged. But with all that
suffering they were praying and singing hymns to God. “About midnight Paul and Silas were
praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them”( Acts
16:25). So often in our society, people are focused on what they don’t have. As Christians, we
need to focus on what the Lord has given us and rejoice and sing praises to the One who has
provided for us. As Christians we must have faith that God can strengthen us even in the midst
of trouble. We need to offer our praises to the King and give Him the glory for what He has
already done always remembering that everything we have is from Him.
Trouble and happiness are not the only circumstances we will find ourselves in.
Sometimes we are going to experience sickness. We can learn from James: “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. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord
will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to
each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person
is powerful and effective” (James 5:14 -16). We can read in the bible that we are all sinners and
we need to confess our sins and seek salvation from Him. James also tells us pray to each other
in need of assistance and that could be pertaining to us as well…because he says: “The prayer
of a righteous person is powerful and effective”
So who can we call righteous? It refers to a person who consciously honors God’s commands
and works toward developing a personal long lasting relationship with Him. We can learn from
Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 22: 37 – 40, “ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest
commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and
the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

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“Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the
error of their way will save them from death and
cover over a multitude of sins”
(James 5:20).