Camel’s Knees

1 Thessalonians 5: 17

Pray without ceasing.

James, brother of our Lord was one of the pillars of the early church. He was the leader of the council of Jerusalem and a wonderful friend of other disciples. Although there are no solidified facts about who wrote the book of James, scholars ascribe it to James, the half-brother of Jesus. He may have been an eyewitness to several miracles of Jesus. He must have watched his brother, Jesus, from a distance. Only after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he may have realized who Jesus really is. From then on, there was no turning back. He dedicated his life in teaching, encouraging, and above all, praying. Beyond that, James was known for his piety and also as James the Just. He was a highly esteemed leader of the early church. History records that James spent several hours each day praying, interceding, and worshiping God. On cold stone floors in the winters and hot, crusty grounds in the summers, James must have knelt and spent hours communing with His risen Savior and best friend. Because of the hours he spent on his knees, they became calloused and wrinkled. Therefore, he was given a nickname of old camel’s knees.

We read the Gospels and are amazed at the teachings of Jesus. With his call to repentance and the offer of salvation, we commit to His Lordship. Now we read about the Acts of the Apostles and the trials they go through. These Acts inspire us to stand firm in the faith despite the circumstances we face. Following the Acts, we delve into the teachings of Paul who carefully lays out the importance and need of a Savior in everyone’s life. With his logical reasoning, historical perspective and practical approach, Paul explains and persuades us to lead holy lives.

As we are contemplating on the teachings of Paul, James comes along and smacks us in the back of our head with his letter. He then comes around, grabs us by the collar, now holds us captive and gives us only two options: either live for Jesus or die in sin. He then slaps us hard with his list of ‘to dos’ to live out our lives in faith and for the Kingdom to come. We either come to our senses and live for Jesus or run for our lives away from the Gospel. There is no sailing in two boats with James’ teaching. When we read his epistle, we can conclude that he lived out what he preached. He followed closely Jesus’ teachings. The last chapter of James describes the necessity of prayer and describes about praying effectively. He further adds that prayers offered in faith will bring healing, forgiveness and prosperity.

Calloused knees or camel’s knees mean several hours spent on knees in humility before the Savior, in awe of the King of kings and in submission to His Sovereignty. Are our knees calloused? Has prayer become the dominant and essential aspect of our lives? Do our knees testify of our humility before the King? James concludes his epistle with a call to prayer. For every aspect of our lives, we must first go on our knees in prayer. Moments of joy, moments of pain, moments of tears, moments of trials and every other moment of life calls for time of prayer. More than riches and glory, camel’s knees are a better and visible testament of whose name we bear.