Pray and Praise

September 21st, 2026
by Lance Waldie

James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.

In vv. 10-11, James encouraged Christians, telling them to consider the prophets and Job— how they suffered for preaching God’s word and remaining faithful under trial. The writer of Hebrews speaks of them saying, “…the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight…tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings… chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated… wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground” (Heb. 11:32-38). Now in v. 13 James asks, “Is anyone among you suffering?” James knew they were and told them to “pray.” Now he brings the audience full circle back to the “various trials” he told them to rejoice in back in 1:2.

The answer as to what to do when we are “suffering” (Gr. kakopatheō) is prayer: we “must pray.” Though James mentions prayer in 1:5 for wisdom, here James emphasizes prayer. Since this is the climax of his epistle, prayer at this point is the logical conclusion to his entire epistle. In fact, the present tense verb signifies continual prayer— “he must continually pray.” Paul likewise closed some of his epistles with similar admonitions (Rom. 15:30-32; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2-4; 2 Thess. 3:1-2; cf. Heb. 13:18-19), saying, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit… alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints (Eph. 6:18). “Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ” (1 Thess. 5:17-18). Although James does not specify what the suffering is that requires prayer, the entire context of his epistle was written because his audience was in turmoil and suffering. In v. 11, James also alludes to Job’s suffering. But the truth is, prayer needs no specific reason. Christians should just pray. In fact, prayer is the natural outpouring of every genuine believer in Christ.

Suffering Christians tend to pray for healing of bodily ailments, restoration of economic losses, and answers for why their loved ones suffer and die. Yet James does not teach us to pray for the restoration of all that we lose. Back in 1:5, after telling his audience to rejoice in the midst of their trials, he told them to pray for wisdom. That certainly fits here as well. Therefore, one might accurately surmise that James means to tell his audience to pray for the spiritual strength necessary to endure one’s sufferings with faith, like the prophets and Job.

For those on the other end of the spectrum, who are not suffering but who are “cheerful” (Gr. euthumeō), literally having “good passion,” they are to “sing praises.” The word “cheerful” is used only in two other places in the NT (Acts 27:22, 25) where it means “peace of mind,” specifically Paul exhorting his fellow passengers to be of good cheer in the midst of the raging storm that was tearing their ship apart and threatening their very lives (Acts 27:33-36). Thus, being cheerful is something Paul himself encouraged in the midst of life-threatening situations (cf. Acts 16:25). James says that in the midst of those circumstances, the cheerful are to “sing songs of praises.” This is one word in Greek—psallō, from which “psalm” derives. The tense of the verb implies ongoing songs of praise to God (Rom. 15:9; 1 Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19). James' point is that when a Christian is cheerful, for whatever reason, the fruit of their joy is to be turned towards Christ. Always.

Food For Thought
James is consistent about how we are to handle every situation we face. Our joy can manifest itself in songs of praise while we suffer. And since songs of praise address God, prayer is practiced whether we pray with a cheerful heart or a weary soul. Remember, we are to “be patient… until the coming of the Lord… strengthen [our] hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain… against one another” (James 5:7-9). Let us do this with joy! It is, after all, our lot on this side of eternity to suffer at some level. May we be faithful in the midst of it.