The heading that precedes James 5:7 in my NLT Bible is Patience and Endurance. Do those words make you groan inwardly as they do me? Verses 7-8 specifically say, “Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”
I will be the first to admit that patience and endurance are not always two of my greatest strengths. I am always more ready to buy the airplane ticket or tear into the room remodel before I have made the budget and saved the money. Life’s too short! Let’s just do this! This is not always the wise way to live. I’m also not great at trying to start new habits, or maintaining endurance. What do they say – it takes three weeks of consistency to start a new habit? Real talk: I usually fizzle out after about three days.
Life in our world right now is a lesson in patience and endurance. We are waiting and waiting for life to return to a semblance of normalcy. We are enduring a constant barrage of information, so much of it negative, coming at us from all sides. Many days I find myself focusing on the unanswered questions – the when, the how, and the why.
When I read the passage above, I zoom in on the farmer. The farmer knows those rains will come. He waits patiently and watches for what he knows will seasonally happen. Yes, there is a chance that too much rain will fall; or maybe the rains will be delayed, and the ground seems dry and still. Yet he prays and he waits patiently. He looks ahead eagerly and trusts what God has put into motion.
This is what I am trying to choose daily to do with life in 2020. I’m looking forward, and I’m going to wait patiently for the rain of God to still the chaos. And still it he will! He might not rain his peace on our country in the way we expect, but he can rain that peace down on our hearts. We can remember that no matter what may come, we can face it with peace in our hearts. That is when we hold on to the end of the passage, when we choose to be patient and have courage, because he is coming! So have patience, brothers and sisters. Soak in the rain that is the peace of our God and see what he does in you and in our world.
Tags: trust, peace, patience, waiting, endurance, unanswered questions
