James 5:13 “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise”.
Early church tradition tells us James, the half-brother of Jesus, spent so much time kneeling in prayer that his knees became thick, leathery, and calloused, like the knees of a camel in the desert. Hence, the praying knees of James were often referred to as “Old Camel’s Knees”.
The one thing that the disciples were curious about was the prayer life of Jesus. They didn’t ask Him to train them to preach, perform miracles or drive out demons but asked Him to teach them to pray. The imagery of the calloused knees of James that were leathery and thick due to hours and hours of standing on his knees to pray is a solemn reminder for us to spend more time in prayer, rather than pondering about the problem.
What are you troubled about today? Pray. When we pray, we must believe that God hears us and He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. James goes on to say, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Prayer from the right heart, with the right attitude and right posture avails much. Receiving the righteousness that comes from the blood of Jesus makes us bold and courageous in prayer. A posture of righteousness is the solid foundation of a praying man/woman. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (Romans 10:10).
James teaches us that we must transform from a man/woman who knows to pray, into a Praying-Man/(Woman). Taking everything to the Lord in prayer turns us from the one who knows to pray, into a praying warrior whose knees will become calloused like that of a camel.
Camel’s Knees:
- Suffering: A worry, distress or anxiety should draw us down on our knees.
- Sorrow: Our mourning and sorrow will turn into joy when we go down on our knees.
- Struggle: A struggle, stress on challenge should first draw us down on our knees before we take action to resolve it.
We have to go down on our knees to rise up from our sufferings, sorrow and struggles.
Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, when I am troubled, I will go down on my knees in prayer. Make my knees like the Old Camel’s Knees. Amen.
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