James is the half-brother of the Lord, the son of Joseph and Mary after Jesus was born. He was one of the 70 disciples and was active in the book of Acts. In the five chapters of this book, we have a Bible full of instruction that often steps on our toes. In this portion he speaks about patience. Let’s look at how our patience holds out.
James 5: 7Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 9Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 10Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Patience is a needed virtue, something that we all have trouble with. You don’t have to be young to be impatient. This is a rapid paced life; this is one way Satan succeeds in working on us. Cultivation of patience is a must. Regardless of how strong our faith is, if we quit waiting on the Lord, we will run into trouble.
James talks about a farmer’s skill to plant and tend his garden. He has to have long patience. The Postal Service motto is delivery in rain, sleet or snow. They do a good job; however, there are times mail gets lost. Here James tells us that God always delivers. It always pays to serve the Lord. He tells us to be patient to the coming of the Lord. That gives us the time limit of waiting, and it’s until the end. We can get doubtful. At times we get a little impatient. James says stretch that patience a little longer. Jesus delivers what we need every time. Be patient until he comes through.
Every spring the farmer has no idea what kind of summer it will be. It may be too hot, too dry, too wet. He doesn’t know how long the growing season will be. He does know that if he plants right in the spring that he can’t give up if there is a long dry spell. He knows the latter rains come. When they do, the harvest will come. James tells us this is how life is. He doesn’t attempt to answer why we have dry spells in life, why we have valleys, or why we have troubles. He reminds us about Job. He did everything right, and his life fell apart. He lost his family, his assets, and his health. His wife questioned why he still trusted the Lord. Job had lessons to learn. He endured for a long time. No matter how hot and dry June and July get, the farmer looks beyond that to fall knowing if he hangs in there, the rain will come and bring the harvest. Job had to keep stretching his patience. He questioned the Lord, but the Lord questioned him back. Long before Job was, God was. Job needed to learn some things, and the Lord showed them to him.
We need more patience than we have. Times will get worse. I don’t look for them to get better. The Lord is out there in the future; he knows the end. He’s Alpha and Omega. He’s the Lord of the end. All of us have enjoyed the former rains. We may be in a drought right now. It may get rough…or rougher. Don’t let the heat get to you. Focus on the end. The Lord is there with the latter rain. All that is not of the Lord will end regardless of how strong it appears right now. It will cool off, and the Lord will come through. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. We need patience, long patience. Is yours long enough? Is it willing enough? It will be tried. If you stretch it, it will go as long as you need it to go.
We’re connected to the Lord by the blessed virtue of patience. If we need to stretch it, he will help us. One of the gifts of the Spirit is long suffering. In other words, we can have long patience. We can believe God. He is strong, and he’ll help us be that way too.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 