THE POWER OF PATIENCE
James 5:7-12

“Dear brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who eagerly look for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They patiently wait for the precious harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Don’t grumble about each other, my brothers and sisters, or God will judge you. For look! The great judge is coming. He is standing at the door!
For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord’s plan finally ended in good, for he is full of tenderness and mercy.
But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned for it.”

All through out the New Testament the return of Jesus Christ is emphasized. Two-thousand years ago, it was the message of the apostles – “Jesus Christ is coming soon!”
And the Apostle James writes to the believers during his time to patiently wait for the Lord’s return.
The word patience means “to stay put and stand fast when you’d like to run away.”
Many have fallen away from the faith because they can no longer wait. Some engaged in inventing formulas to calculate the exact date of Jesus’ return. So far, lahat ay bagsak!
Jesus says, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” Matthew 24:42.
If that is the case, how can we as Christians experience this kind of patient endurance as we wait for the Lord to return? James gives three encouraging examples of patient endurance.

I. THE FARMER
“Dear brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who eagerly look for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They patiently wait for the precious harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near” (5:7-9).
If a man is impatient, then he had better not become a farmer. No crop appears overnight, and no farmer has control over the weather. Too much rain and too much sun can destroy the crop.
It takes time for plants to grow.
Why does he willingly wait so long? Because the fruit is “precious” (5:7).
“So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time” Galatians 6:9.
The Christian is a “spiritual farmer” looking for a spiritual harvest. Our hearts are the soil, and the “seed is the Word of God.”
There are seasons to the spiritual life just as there are seasons to the soil.
The seed must be buried for it to grow. In the same, the Christian goes through trials and troubles and sufferings.
The farmer does not stand around doing nothing waiting for the harvest. He is constantly at work as he looks toward the harvest.
James did not tell these believers to put on white robes, climb a hill, and wait for Jesus to return. We must do God’s work until Jesus returns.
Nor does any farmer get into fights with his neighbors. “Don’t grumble against each other brothers or you will be judged” (5:9).

II. THE PROPHETS
“For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord’s plan finally ended in good, for he is full of tenderness and mercy” (5:10).
The prophets encourage us by reminding us that God cares for us when we go through sufferings for His sake.

1. ELIJAH (1 Kings 17-19)
« He announced to wicked King Ahab that there would be a drought for 3 and ½ years and he himself had to suffer in that drought. He went into hiding.
« Queen Jezebel threatened his life. Elijah ran. He was afraid, depressed, and abandoned.
« During those sad moments, Elijah wanted to die. He witnessed a windstorm, and earthquake, and God’s fire from heaven. But the Lord was not in any of those powerful things. Instead, God displayed His presence in a soft whisper.

2. JEREMIAH – “the weeping prophet”
« He spoke, nobody listened. He urged the people of Israel to act, nobody moved. He was poor and underwent severe deprivation to deliver his prophecies.
« He was thrown into prison, and into a well. He was rejected by his neighbors, his family, the false priests and prophets, friends, his audience, and the kings.
« Regardless of opposition and personal cost, Jeremiah courageously and faithfully proclaimed the Word of God.

3. DANIEL
« He was thrown into a lion’s den because he violated the king’s order banning prayer.
4. EZEKIEL
« During his ministry God told him to illustrate his messages with dramatic object lessons.
« Lying on his left side for 390 days during which he could eat only one 8-ounce meal a day cooked over manure. Another 40 days on his right side.
« Shaving his head and beard.
« Showing no sorrow when his wife died.

Why were they willing to suffer?
“All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it from a distance and welcomed the promises of God…..But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them” Hebrews 11:13-16.
Why is that those who “speak in the name of the Lord” often must endure difficult trials? It is so that their lives might back up their messages. The impact of a life carries much power. We need to remind ourselves that our patience in times of suffering is a testimony to others around us.

This example that James used from the Old Testament prophets ought to encourage us to spend more time in the Bible, getting acquainted with the heroes of faith. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” Romans 15:4.
Like the farmer, we keep working, and, like the prophets, we keep witnessing, no matter how trying the circumstances may be.

III. THE LIFE JOB
“Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord’s plan finally ended in good, for he is full of tenderness and mercy” (5:11).
Job is a prosperous farmer. He has thousands of sheep, camels, and other livestock, a large family, and lots of servants. Suddenly Satan comes before God claiming that Job trusts God only because he is wealthy and everything is going well for him. And so the testing of Job’s faith begins.
Satan is allowed to destroy Job’s children, servants, livestock, herdsmen, and home; but Job continues to trust in God. Next Satan attacks Job physically, covering him with painful boils. Job’s wife tells him to curse God and die, but Job suffers in silence.
His friends were against him, for they accused him of being a hypocrite, deserving of the judgment of God. And it seemed like God was against him! When Job cried out for answers to his questions, there was no reply from heaven.
Finally, God speaks out of a mighty whirlwind. Confronted with the great power and majesty of God, Job falls in humble reverence before God – speechless. God rebukes Job’s friends, and the drama ends with Job restored to happiness and wealth.

The exhortation in verse 12 seems out of place:
“But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned for it.”
It is easy to say things you do not mean, and make promises you don’t intend to keep when you are going through difficulties.
Look at the example of Job:
“’I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord.’ In all this, Job did not sin by blaming God” Job 1:21-22.

James wanted to encourage us to be patient in times of suffering. Like the farmer, we must work while we wait for the harvest. Like the prophets, we look for opportunities to share the truth of God. And like Job, we wait for the Lord to fulfill His loving purpose, knowing that He will never cause His children to suffer needlessly.
And, like Job, we shall have a clearer vision of the Lord and come to know Him better for having been in the furnace of affliction.
Let us patiently wait for the Lord’s return.