“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” James 5:13 NKJV
When we find ourselves in certain situations, it’s sometimes difficult to do the things that would get us out. This is the case when we choose to wallow in self-pity rather than try to fix things.
Sometimes, we just need the strength and discipline to do what needs to be done. We listen to the contrary voices in our heads. Even though we know what God’s Word says we should do, we disregard it and choose laziness.
The anchor scripture illustrates this point. The average suffering person will not think of prayer as the first solution. Instead, they will cry, ponder life, and look for someone to complain to.
Singing also comes naturally to a cheerful person, so why does the scripture emphasise that singing must be done when cheerful?
It’s because change is constant. If you’re not intentional about your actions, a force will either move you deeper into your current state or take you out of it.
Praying amidst suffering takes you out of that situation because you receive wisdom on what to do. Deciding not to pray moves you deeper into a depressive state.
Intentionally singing when cheerful moves you deeper into cheerfulness no matter what happens—your heart stays constantly filled with joy. Singing only when you feel like it opens the doors to a change in emotion once suffering appears—you’ll move from cheer to depression in seconds and then stop singing.
How can we effectively self-regulate when work doesn’t go well?
Even when you’re doing something you have passion for and are called to create, every waking hour won’t be rosy. Sometimes, you’ll ask yourself who sent you because some situations should never be experienced.
Work has highs and lows. What we do during these seasons determines whether we stay high or low.
Suffering at work can come in any form. It could be the inability to make money, a bad business environment, toxic work relationships, a lack of creative inspiration, pressures and looming deadlines, or feelings of inadequacy.
In such situations, pray. Through prayer, we receive the wisdom needed for the season. This wisdom is the answer we need to implement and see results. The suffering won’t automatically disappear, but we receive wisdom on what to do so that it does. And while we implement, it’s from a place of faith and trust in God, not fear.
Cheerfulness at work could be the opposite of the suffering examples shared above. To stay in such states, we sing with gratitude to God. This won’t stop suffering from coming, but we’ll handle it differently through gratitude and prayer.
This is how we self-regulate with the help of the Holy Spirit. Emotions are shifty, and change is constant, but our decisions can be definite.
“I control my situations through prayer and singing.”
Do you constantly stay aware of how you feel? What do you do when your emotions don’t serve you positively?
The road to recovery from suffering or sustenance of joy begins with awareness of where we are. This is the only way we can do what’s necessary to get where we desire to go.
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