THE POWER OF PATIENCE

By Rev. Richard Burgett

James 5: 7-9

James was still addressing the suffering saints when he wrote, "Be patient". This was his counsel at the beginning of this letter (1: 1-5), and his counsel as his letter came to a close. God is not going to right all the wrongs in this world until Jesus Christ returns, and we believers must patiently endure - and expect.

Three times James reminds us of the coming of the Lord (5: 7,8 and 9). This is the "blessed hope" of the Christian (Titus 2:13). We do not expect to have everything easy and comfortable in this present life. "In the world ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33) Paul exhorted his converts that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). We must patiently endure hardships and heartaches until Jesus returns.

James used two different words for patience. In verses 7,8 and 10, it was the word "long-tempered." The words "endure" and "patience" in verse 11 literally mean "to remain under" and speak of endurance under great stress. Patience means "to stay put and stand fast when you'd like to run away." Many Greek scholars think that "long-suffering" refers to patience with respect to persons, while "endurance" refers to patience with respect to conditions or situations.

But the question we must answer is: How can we as Christians experience this kind of patient endurance as we wait for the Lord to return? To answer that question (and need), James gave three encouraging examples of patient endurance.

THE FARMER (5:7-9)

If a man is impatient, then he had better not become a farmer. No crop appears overnight (except perhaps a crop of weeds), and no farmer has control over the weather. Too much rain can cause the crop to rot, and too much sun can burn it up. An early frost can kill the crop. How long-suffering the farmer must be with the weather!

He must also have patience with the seed and the crop, for it takes time for plants to grow. Jewish farmers would plow and sow in what to us are the autumn months. The "early rain" would soften the soil The "latter rain" would come in the early spring (over February-March) and help to mature the harvest. The farmer had to wait many weeks for his seed to produce fruit.

Why did he willingly wait so long? Because the fruit is "precious" (5:7). The harvest is worth waiting for. "In due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9). "For the earth produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come" (Mark 4:28-29, NASB).

James pictured the Christian as a "spiritual farmer" looking for a spiritual harvest. "Be ye also patient, establish your heart ..." (5:8). Our hearts are the soil, and the "seed is the Word of God" (Luke 8:11). There are seasons to the spiritual life just as there are seasons to the soil. Sometimes, our hearts become cold and "wintry," and the Lord has to "plow them up" before He can plant the seed (Jer. 4:3). He sends the sunshine and the rains of His goodness to water and nurture the seeds planted; but we must be patient to wait for the harvest.

Here, then, is a secret of endurance when the going is tough: God is producing a harvest in our lives. He wants the "Fruit of the Spirit" to grow(Gal. 5:22-23), and the only way He can do it is through trials and troubles. Instead of growing impatient with God and with ourselves, we must yield to the Lord and permit the fruit to grow. We are "spiritual farmers" looking for a harvest.

You can enjoy this kind of a harvest only if your heart is established (James 5:8). One of the purposes of the spiritual ministry of the local church is to establish the heart (Rom 1:11). Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica to establish the young Christians in their faith (I Thes. 3: 1-3); and Paul also prayed fro them that they might be established (I Thes. 3: 10-13). The ministry of the Word of God and prayer are important if the heart is going to be established. A heart that is not established cannot bear fruit.

Keep in mind that the farmer does not stand around doing nothing: he is constantly at work as he looks toward the harvest. James did not tell these suffering believers to put on white robes, climb a hill, and wait for Jesus to return. "Keep working and waiting" was his admonition. "Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing" (Luke 12:43).

Nor does the farmer get into fights with his neighbors. One of the usual marks of farmers is their willingness to help one another. Nobody on the farm has time or energy for disputes with the neighbors. James must have had this in mind when he added, "Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged" (5:9, NIV). Impatience with God often leads to impatience with God's people, and this is a sin we must avoid. If we start using the sickles on each other, we will miss the harvest!

THE PROPHETS

A Jewish congregation would understand this simple reference that James made to the Old Testament prophets. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also used the prophets as an example of victory over persecution (Matt. 5: 10-12). What encouragements do we receive from their example?

Many of the prophets had to endure great trials and suffereings, not only at the hands of unbelievers, but at the hands of professed believers. Jeremiah was arrested as a traitor and even thrown into an abandoned well to die. God fed Jeremiah and protected him throughout that terrible siege of Jerusalem, even though at times it looked as though the prophet was going to be killed. Both Ezekiel and Daniel had their share of hardships, but the Lord delivered them. And even those who were not delivered, who died for the faith, received that special reward for those who are true to Him.

THIRD: JOB

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly (with folly). Job 1:22 Why? Because naked came I out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return there. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Job 1:20

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