Patience

James 5:7-10

Being impatient is a fault that many people have.  Children show impatience frequently at this time of year, as they await Christmas morning.  Adults are impatient, too, as they wait for news from work or from the doctor’s office. Many things we wait for just can’t be hurried along.  One has to wait nine months for the baby to arrive. It’s definitely not healthy to deliberately hurry that along! Cutting short the baking time of cakes can mean a failure.  In our short Scripture passage today from the Book of James, we read words that also encourage us to practice patience.

James, in his encouraging letter to fellow Christians, also speaks about being patient.  Many of the people he was writing to were going through various degrees of persecution, both from their families and other people they knew before they became Christians, and from people in their community, whether neighbors or municipal officials.  They were growing impatient for Jesus to return. Persecution at any level can be discouraging, and our longing for the return of Jesus to deliver us from this grows. James encourages us to be patient, and he gives us the example of the farmer, and the patience he must show (vs. 7).  A farmer will start planting his seeds in the spring, and hopefully within a few weeks little seedlings will start appearing. Then it takes time for the plants to grow before they are ready to be harvested. This is not something that can be rushed. Pulling up a plant before it is ready is useless, and only kills the plant.

In like manner we are to be patient and trust God through every trial we go through.  Being patient, especially waiting for the Lord’s return, means staying the course, and enduring.  Be patient and bear the offense and injuries of others, while staying away from rage. As we realize the glory that awaits us when Jesus returns, we should be motivated to patiently endure mistreatment by others.  Once we realize that every situation on earth is just temporary, it changes our attitude. We can then persevere through any difficulty. We can have patience towards others while practicing the fruits of the Spirit in our life.

Growing a crop takes time.  The farmer cannot hurry the process on.  In the meantime, after he has planted the seed, he doesn’t sit idle.  He waters the crop, and keeps weeds and insects out. He keeps his equipment in order, and plans for next year.  In like manner we wait for Jesus to return. We cannot hurry that day, but we shouldn’t sit idle either. There is work to be done for God’s kingdom right now.

We may feel like we are going to collapse under the weight of our trials and burdens, and especially if we are facing any persecution.  James encourages us to shore up our hearts with the hope of Jesus’ return (vs. 8). His return is imminent, it could happen at any time.  In verse 9 James compares Jesus to a judge standing at the door of a courtroom, ready at any moment to enter and convene court, so don’t grumble.

As our passage closes, James wants us to remember believers from the past who endured suffering while showing patience (vs. 10).  There are several examples of people who were persecuted in the Bible, yet showing great patience. Moses was persecuted by many of his own people, the Israelites.  Elijah was persecuted by King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Jeremiah was persecuted by the king, political leaders, and the apostate priests. Daniel and his companions by the Babylonian political leaders.  And both Paul and Stephen from the Jewish religious leaders.

Just like the believers of the past, we learn more from times of adversity than in times of ease.  During hard times God can show us His power and love. He can teach us if we are willing and compliant.  Whatever God’s reason for taking us through a trial, He never means it for our harm. It is to benefit us so that we can become everything God wishes us to be, and so we can receive His abundant blessings.