Be Patient

March 05|Make it Real Series

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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

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. James 5:7

Read: James 5:7-11
Listen: James 5

TODAY’S MESSAGE

As he nears the end of his letter, James reminds fellow Christians suffering persecution to be patient. Using the analogy of a farmer, he frames patience against the backdrop of cultivating crops in a desert environment. Once the seeds are planted, it’s a waiting game of patience as the rains only come twice a year. No rain means no harvest, which means no food. When the rains finally appear, farmers celebrate the goodness of God who brings the rain that gives life.

When we go through rough times, James wants us to remember the farmer who waits patiently for God to bring rain. “You know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:3-4). God will mature us into the character of Christ as we wait patiently. One way we can demonstrate our faith in God is by developing the discipline of seeing his goodness in the things he provides while we’re waiting. Seeing something good is like getting some rain. It reminds us that God will triumph in the end.

TODAY: Look over the past week for at least three positive things you can see. (E.g., Your teenager said “thank you,” it was 70 degrees in February or you got a smile from your mother who has Alzheimer’s.) Thanking God builds trust, so thank him for each positive thing and the hope it gives that he is at work in you.