Faith Works - In Patience

James 5:7-12 NIV 

[7] Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. [8] You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. [9] Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! [10] Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. [11] As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. [12] Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.5.7-12.NIV)

A number of years ago, something most people would think is a little unusual happened to our family. It has been the constant material for sermon illustrations and just plain bewilderment since then. We were on our way home from visiting family in the Philippines. We were changing planes in Dubai. The airport there is enormous. We didn’t have a huge amount of time, so we did what sensible people do and headed for our departure gate. 

And then we saw it. 

Fog. 

Our plane was fog-bound in Dubai. 

Figure that one out! 

There was nothing we could do. We had no idea when it would clear. Neither did the airline. Neither did the airport staff. Looking out the windows, I could see that it really was thick fog. They absolutely were not exaggerating. Movements around the airport apron would be very dangerous. And so that was that. We just had to wait until it cleared. 

Now, Dubai Airport is not a bad place to wait. We were comfortable and warm. We had somewhere to sit. Food and drink was around if we needed it. There are worst places to need to be patient. 

Some other friends of ours were on their way back from Vietnam when they were stuck in Doha, Qatar due to the Icelandic ash cloud. Waiting was easy for them – for a week, in a four star hotel, with meals and tours available. It could have been a lot worse! 

But for many of us, needing to wait for something can be absolutely gruelling. I have, and so have members of my family, needed to wait on medical diagnoses, or surgery, or for the passing of a loved one. These waits can be absolutely horrific. And it doesn’t matter where you have to wait for them. Whether it’s in a palace or a hovel, it still hurts. 

James was writing a letter to people who were waiting for something much more important than any of that. The level of persecution and pain they were enduring on a daily basis is something the likes of which we should praise God that we don’t have to endure. The writer to the Hebrews described it: 

Hebrews 10:32-39 NIV 

[32] Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. [33] Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. [34] You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. [35] So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. [36] You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. [37] For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” [38] And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” [39] But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.10.32-39.NIV)

Some of us may have been insulted for our faith. Few of us have lost jobs, homes or possessions. No-one reading this will have lost their lives for it, although it’s possible that someone reading this may know someone who has.  

The vast majority of people in western nations have no clue at all what persecution looks or feels like because we have not been persecuted. Not on this level. Not really. Insulted? Yes. Bullied? Absolutely.  

Hounded to the ends of the earth and at risk of losing everything? 

No, not at all. 

Yet that was where these believers were. 

We could almost understand why they would want to give up and walk away. The pressure would have been intense to do so. Yet here James encourages them to keep going, and to wait patiently for God to rescue them. 

Why? How could they do that? 

And more importantly, how can we? 

That’s what we’ll look at in this post, starting with his Exhortation to be Patient. 

Exhortation to be Patient  

James 5:7-9 NIV 

[7] Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. [8] You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. [9] Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.5.7-9.NIV)

A few years ago, not long after the Covid pandemic, we took a holiday in the English Lake District. Our train journey south was easy and straightforward enough. Our journey home involved a change of trains at Oxenholme. 

We got off our first train, checked what platform we would be getting back on from, and waited. And waited. And waited. Our train wasn’t due for a few hours. But Oxenholme is a rural station. There is absolutely not one thing to do. It was a very boring wait. 

Eventually, though, our train came into view. 

Another friend of mine was on his first long distance train journey from Romania to Bulgaria. He called me at three o’clock in the morning. His train had arrived, but the carriage he and his colleagues were booked onto wasn’t there and the train had pulled out without him. 

I told him to go to the train company's office and ask what had happened. 

He did. And they told him. 

The carriage they were booked into had been impounded in Turkey due to drugs smuggling. It was coming on the next train, but it would be a few hours later before it would arrive. 

So he and his colleagues waited, in Bucharest North station in the early hours of the morning, and were hours late at their destination. 

No-one likes waiting. It’s just not a nice thing to do. And the circumstances you are waiting in make things worse. The harder they are, the worse the wait becomes. 

James’ contemporaries were struggling under the sheer weight of relentless persecution. They longed for it to end. However, the Romans were all powerful. They could see only one way for their persecution to end, and that would be if Jesus returned to take them to heaven. 

Now, before we go through these verses, we need to understand this in particular: 

2 Peter 3:3-10 NIV 

[3] Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. [4] They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” [5] But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. [6] By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. [7] By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. [8] But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. [9] The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. [10] But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/2pe.3.3-10.NIV)

Jesus is coming back. He also said that He is coming soon: 

Revelation 22:20 NIV 

[20] He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rev.22.20.NIV)

But His soon is not our soon. He will come when the time is right and not before, just as He did when He was born (Galatians 4:4). 

He will also come when He is not expected (Luke 12:35-40). His time is not our time. 

But He is coming. 

There is also a second meaning this word. It was used to describe the visit of a king, queen or high ranking official to a place. While it is used extensively in the New Testament in connection with Jesus’ first and second comings, it is also used to describe the coming of someone with relative seniority to a church, such as Paul (Philippians 2:12) and Silas (2 Corinthians 7:6).  

So these verses could also refer to God coming and being present to intervene in their situation. 

That might explain the immediacy and proximity in these verses. God seems to be getting closer. 

He is coming, so they ought to be patient, meaning that, as James told then earlier: 

James 1:19-20 NIV 

[19] My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, [20] because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.19-20.NIV)

They ought to be long-suffering and endure, because they won’t be suffering for long. The end of it all is nigh. 

He is near, so they ought to be patient and stand firm. The Greek literally means to ‘strengthen [their] hearts’ . That is to be determined and set in their wills and emotions; to be set and firm in their affections. 

He is at the door, so they ought not to grumble, specifically against each other.  

We need to absorb this carefully: it is never a good thing to grumble against a brother or sister in Christ. It will always, always get us into trouble, even if they never hear our complaint. 

1 Corinthians 10:9-12 NIV 

[9] We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. [10] And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. [11] These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. [12] So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.10.9-12.NIV)

Romans 14:4 NIV 

[4] Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.14.4.NIV)

If we grumble against our fellow believer, we need to remember that the Lord is at the door and may intervene in their favour, not ours. Any complaints need to be worth it, supported by witnesses and taken through the proper channels (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Timothy 5:19-21).

If not, then we must forgive (Matthew 6:14-15, 18:21-30; Luke 17:1-5; Colossians 3:13).

Grumbling, gossip, innuendo, slander, the spreading of ‘half-truths’, exaggerations and ‘alternative facts’ must have no place among us. They are unbecoming of the people of God. 

So we see, then, that we must be patient, because God is coming to intervene and change our situation, whether it will be through intervention now or in the Second Coming. He will have His way. 

We move in, then, from James’ exhortation to be patient to Examples of Patience. 

Examples of Patience 

James 5:7-8, 10-11 NIV 

[7] Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. [8] You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.  

[10] Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. [11] As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.5.7-11.NIV)

Faith produces patience. Think about it: if you are absolutely sure you will get something, you are prepared to wait for it. But if there is any doubt at all, that creates anxiety and a lack of security, which then breeds impatience. 

The writer to the Hebrews also links the two concepts: 

Hebrews 11:13-16, 39-40 NIV 

[13] All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. [14] People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. [15] If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. [16] Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 

[39] These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, [40] since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.11.13-40.NIV)

Romans also talks about feeling the angst between what we have now and what we will have in heaven, but Paul adds these very important words: 

Romans 8:24-25 NIV 

[24] For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? [25] But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.24-25.NIV)

Anxiety is the opposite of patience. If we feel anxious about something happening, or not happening, then at its root we are expressing a lack of faith that it will. Anxiety can be a powerful motivator. It can be the fuel to fire us to make sure that something takes place. 

But when we are anxious about things over which we have no control, that is when it becomes highly problematic, and, indeed, destructive. 

James cites three groups of people as examples of patience. Now, these are very interesting people. In some cases, they might not be the kind of people we would pick as poster boys for patience. However, here aspects of each of them that we could seek to emulate. 

The first group is farmers.  

Now, farming is not a job I would want to do. You can buy the right seed, plant the right crops at the right time and under the right conditions. You can get everything right, do all the right things, but then find that your entire harvest is at the mercy of the elements. It is such a precarious job. Vast amounts of money are sunk into the soil with no firm guarantees that the investment will be worth it. 

Each seed is a promise. If you plant barley, you are promised barley; if you plant wheat, you are promised wheat; if you plant rice, you are promised rice. Often entire livelihoods depend completely on that crop being harvested. 

James talks of the farmer, having risked everything on his fields, planting his crops at the right season and then longing on the spring and autumn rains to water them. The situation is completely beyond his control. There is nothing he can do to change the weather. All he has do to is wait. 

He also couldn’t take decisions based on how the weather looked and delay for too long. As Solomon taught: 

Ecclesiastes 11:4 NIV 

[4] Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/ecc.11.4.NIV)

He had to plant. And hope. And wait. 

This is a similar situation in which many of us find ourselves. We are powerless to change things. There is nothing we can do apart from trust God. 

And I know what this feels like. A number of years ago, my wife’s village was struck by an enormous typhoon. We lost contact with them for a week. All we saw online was footage of flood damage in surrounding villages. We heard nothing from theirs. We didn’t know if they were alive or dead. 

We just had to wait and hope. 

Praise God that they survived unscathed. 

But we don’t just see farmers, we also see the example of the prophets. 

Most of them ministered at a time when Jewish society was at its most evil and had wandered the furthest from God: during the years before the Exile. There is, I believe, a good reason for that: they were trying to turn their people back from impending disaster.

Which, of course, did not work. 

But the fact they were so very out of step with their own people led to some awful acts of persecution against them:

Hebrews 11:32-38 NIV 

[32] And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, [33] who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, [34] quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. [35] Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. [36] Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. [37] They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— [38] the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.11.32-38.NIV)

Understandably, there is at least one prophet – Jeremiah – who seems to have serious struggles with his mental health. He saw the very worst of the Exile, and penned the tragic and troubling Lamentations. 

If you see all his many complaints and arguments with God, maybe you might wonder why it is that the prophets are held up as examples of patience. 

But there is one prophet – Habakkuk, whose book we will study more in depth in a later series – who gives us a key insight into why he and his fellow prophets are talked of in this way by James. 

Habakkuk seems to have been a very sensitive man. He was deeply affected by the wrongdoing and pain around him and asked God what He was doing about it. God explained His plan to send the Babylonians to punish Judah. Habakkuk found this unpalatable because God was using one evil nation to punish a lesser evil nation. But God explained that after that He would punish the Babylonians too. 

The book finishes with an extraordinary psalm of praise and a statement that ought to send chills down our spine: 

Habakkuk 3:17-19 NIV 

[17] Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, [18] yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. [19] The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/hab.3.17-19.NIV)

Habakkuk knew that the Babylonian invasion will be terrible and tragic. He seems to have been aware that it could lead to a chronic lack of food and that a famine is on the way. Yet Habakkuk declared that he would still hold on to his faith regardless because God will help him negotiate the hard times. 

That is really quite something – similar to the later declaration of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3:16-18). 

And that is the difference. That is why the prophets were patient. They kept going. They held on to their faith regardless. It was a strong, defiant faith. 

They faced their struggles. Their situation was incredibly painful. Most of the prophets never even saw many of the things they prophesied taking place.  

But it made no difference. They believed God and persevered. 

And that, friends, is what we must do. God will come through for us, but in His time. In the meantime, we must remain defiantly patient and faithful. 

Apart from farmers and the prophets, we also see another person who was patient: Job. 

Have you read the book of Job? It is not an easy read at all. Job spends most of it complaining about his situation and why God isn’t bringing him out of it. 

But then, he had plenty of reasons to complain (Job 1 and 2). His suffering was great. There is no doubt about that. 

And his friends weren’t much help. There also isn’t any doubt about that. 

And for all that He allowed Job to go through, God provided no explanation. He seems to have put Job in his place instead (Job 38:1-2). 

But He did provide something even more special: full and complete restoration (Job 42:7-17). 

So why was Job held up by James as an example of patience? 

Because he didn’t quit. 

His wife offered him an easy way out – curse God and die – but Job didn’t do it (Job 2:9-10). Instead, he faced the suffering and the pain and endured it. 

These are three amazing pictures of patience. Personally, I find them very encouraging. I can relate to the picture of being, to quote U2, ‘Stuck in a moment you can’t get out of’. I know how it feels to have lost any pretence of control and just waiting on something happening that never seems to come.  

I can also relate to the prophets facing an incredibly hard time for being out of step with their culture, and with Job and all his complaints. I get all of them. 

And I see that in each of these examples, these people are not perfect and are not being held up by James as being perfect.  

So if your situation is driving you crazy, if your mental health is fluctuating like a yo-yo and if you seem to spend most of your time in doom-filled complaining, listen to this truth: patience does not always mean waiting calmly. What it does mean is persevering: keeping going despite the fear at the lack of control and the struggles with depression, despondency and despair. 

What matters is that you bring these to God, unburden yourself of them (Matthew 11:28-30) and keep going. 

Don’t give up. 

Because that is what patience truly means. 

After James takes us through an exhortation to be patient and examples of patience, we also see here Examples of Impatience. 

Examples of Impatience  

James 5:9, 12 NIV 

[9] Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 

[12] Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.5.9-12.NIV)

Have you ever been on a journey with a small child who insists on asking ‘Are we there yet?’ or ‘How much longer?’ every five minutes? 

Those journeys can be a massive test of endurance and patience. 

However, they’re young. They’re anxious to arrive at their destination. It is irritating, but we understand it. 

What we see here, though, is behaviour by impatient adults that is not understandable and is actually inexcusable. 

The first is deflection. The person here is upset and anxious that things are not happening quickly enough for them. The things they hoped for are coming, but aren’t coming soon enough. 

So what do they do? 

They find someone to take it out on and begun to vent their spleen at them. They moan. They whine. They complain. They groan. 

Now, there is a place where it’s okay to groan. That place is the place of prayer:

Romans 8:22-27 NIV 

[22] We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. [23] Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. [24] For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? [25] But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. [26] In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. [27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.22-27.NIV)

Do you see it? 

These groans are inward, directed at God, not outward, directed at people. 

After all, what good can someone else do to relieve a situation God had brought upon you? How are they supposed to help? Can they snap their fingers and make you well? Or wave their hand and take away your money worries? Or say a magic word and make your relationship issues go away? 

No! These issues ought to be taken to God! 

Worse – and this really has to be said – continually moaning and groaning about your situation pushes people away and makes them less likely to want to help you, and that is what the Body of Christ is for. You make your own situation so much harder by centring everything on you and not being willing to play your part; by dragging others down instead of building them up; by discouraging instead of encouraging. 

Of course, there are times when it’s absolutely right to share in detail how we are doing and to seek prayer and encouragement. But it is totally wrong to use this as a forum to complain and backbite against other people who have nothing to do with your situation. These are people. They are not stress toys. 

Take your tension to God. Don’t vent it on others. 

The second is dishonesty. That is, being fundamentally untrustworthy and covering this up with vows. 

James’ half-brother was absolutely against this: 

Matthew 5:33-37 NIV 

[33]  “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ [34] But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; [35] or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. [36] And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. [37] All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.5.33-37.NIV)

If you have landed in the pickle you are in because you were dishonest, using oaths and swearing might seem like a way of assuring people that you have changed and are now trustworthy. Let me tell you, it is not. If someone tries to do this to me, my first question is, ‘Why do they need to do it? Is their word not sufficient?’ 

This is one shortcut that will not work. Do you know how a person who was once dishonest can prove their honesty? By being honest. Consistently. Over a long period of time. Until people believe them again. 

That requires immense patience while you feel the sting of whatever you did wrong every day. It isn’t at all easy. But it is the only way. 

Many years ago, the alternative rock band King’s X came up with one of the best lyrics I have heard in a long time: ‘Patience is a virtue, but she won’t always wait’. 

It’s even better when one of your friends in university was called ‘Patience’. 

But let me ask you now you have gone through this meditation: is patience a friend of yours? 

Conclusion  

James 5:8 NIV 

[8] You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.5.8.NIV)

Maybe you’ve read these lines and honestly thought of yelling at me. Maybe you’re thinking, ‘How can you ask me to be patient? Do you know what I’m going through right now?’. 

Believe it or not, I get it.  

Let me give you a few examples of how God put me in situations where my patience was tested. 

When I was eighteen months old, my parents and I were moved into a bad neighbourhood. We endured smashed windows, graffiti on our door, insults, threats, things being thrown at us in the streets and needless aggression against us until we were eventually moved out. It took eighteen years. 

My father tried to be a pastor. Due to some appalling treatment, he was rejected. He looked for a job. He couldn’t find one. For seven years. 

When I was younger, I wanted a girlfriend. Mostly because I wanted to be like someone else and feel the validation that came from it. Not really because of anything like true love. I met my wife when I was twenty-six. 

I have been on waiting lists for medical treatment. I have waited in hospital waiting rooms.

As I write these lines, my wife is waiting on an operation. 

So yes, I know precisely what it means to have to wait for something you really want or need.  

But let me reiterate what James said earlier: 

James 1:16-17 NIV 

[16] Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. [17] Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.16-17.NIV)

And again, from Paul: 

Romans 8:28 NIV 

[28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.28.NIV)

We’ve seen an exhortation to be patient, and examples of both patience and impatience.

Faith produces patience because faith believes that God is good, His gifts are good and His purpose is good, through which He works for our good. 

So although we really cannot see it, that must mean that the wait He is putting us through now is also good. 

After all, faith projects through the darkness to see the invisible and to see the future God has for us (Hebrews 11:1). 

Patience is proof that we really do have faith in God. 

So tell me, are you patient? 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, You have challenged me to the core. I know I can be so impatient, especially when I’m passing through a hard time. Forgive my lack of faith and teach me to be patient. I believe You will come through for me. Amen. 

Questions for Contemplation

• Why does James ask these suffering Christians to be patient? What good will it do? 

• What are some examples of patience? Why are they good examples? What can we learn from them? 

• What examples does James give of impatience? Are you prone to either of these? How can you put this right?