Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #40

Prayer and Perseverance

James 5

I pray blessings on you as you read.

(v. 8) "You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." (v. 11-12) "As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned." (v. 16) "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

My Thoughts

James reminds us to be patient in the face of suffering. Take Job's example: Job literally lost everything. His children, his possessions, everything. God did not leave Job alone, He was with him the whole time and God restored Job in the end. Job's possessions were restored and he was blessed with even more children. Job very well could have cursed God, as his wife had suggested, but he did not. He persevered and stayed faithful to God and God stayed faithful to Job.

We should follow Job's example, as well as the other prophets of God who persevered in the face of their suffering for God. Do not let your circumstances overpower you. God is bigger than anything, and that includes bad situation you may be facing. Stay faithful to God and He will be faithful to you. He will restore you in the end and all will be well. Staying faithful to God means to trust in Him and not become angry with Him.

Speaking of not cursing God, that points me to something else that James says here: to not swear by anything. James says to let your "Yes" be yes and your "No," no. That means you don't say "I swear on my ______." Just be honest and say either "Yes," or "No." If you are honest and trustworthy, that is all you need, you don't need to swear on anything; you don't need to 'sweeten the deal.' You shouldn't anyway because that can be as binding as an oath. If you fail to keep it, you are not only jeopardizing whatever you swear on, but you are opening yourself up for a lot of spiritual and mental, and even physical stress.

We are also told to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other so that we can be healed. I believe that James wants us to be willing to forgive each other and willing to accept forgiveness. As long as you have confessed your sins to God and you have forgiven yourself, I believe that God is happy with that. Also to pray for each other so that we may be healed. We should always be praying for each other, not just when bad things are happening, but even in joyful times and happiness. Prayer is such an amazing thing because it allows us to communicate with God and opens a way  for Him to act.

So, remember to pray for each other always, not to swear on anything and to persevere through everything, staying faithful to God. Any time you are felling down or going through any kind of a hard time, persevere through it, trust and know that God will restore you in the end.

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Prayer Time

Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.

Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!