James 5:13-20

James 5:13-20
English Standard Version (ESV)

 When I lived in Chattanooga, I remember standing on my front porch and watching raging storms pass by, thankfully far enough north that they weren't a threat to our house.  These storms had ravaged the lives of others, though.  They were mighty in power, and I felt very, very small in the face of them. 
  It's not terribly different than today.  The storm of this virus is sweeping around the world.  Even if I'm safe, I know that thousands are directly effected, and countless more, indirectly effected. 
  We escape the wrath of some storms.  Others fall directly upon us.  At some point in our lives, we're caught up in the chaos of a storm. 
  In the conclusion of the epistle, James is teaching us to how to live in every season of life.  There is a time to pray in the storms of life.  In the joys of life, we sing praises.  When we are sick, we ask those in the church to gather around us and pray, for we may not have the strength to pray on our own.  When we have specific sins troubling us, let us confess.  When we do not, may we have the humility to hear the confessions of others.
  Prayer is a wonderful thing, and there are prayers for every season of life.  May the prayers we utter here in the midst of this storm be balanced by prayers we offer in the midst of the joys of life.  Let us pray, in all times and seasons, on every day and in every way, that God hears the joys and concerns in the depths of our hearts consistently.