patient trust

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. James 5:7-11

Like everything else in the Christian life, patience is a learned spiritual art—perhaps one of the hardest ones to find active in our lives. Patience is the skill of waiting well, of yielding our timetables to others and—most important—to the Lord. I like the term patient waiting because patience is nothing more than the art of learning to wait! Webster's Dictionary agrees. For the word patient, it offers this definition: “the will or ability to wait.” Patience can be especially challenging at Christmastime for those of us who find it hard to wait for that moment when we can open all those tantalizingly wrapped gifts under the tree!

But it's not just about waiting to get what we want. Ultimately, it's about waiting for God to accomplish his agenda in our lives. Waiting to experience answers to prayer, the fulfillment of his promises, the development of his divine character in our lives. The psalmist encouraged us, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him . . . . Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you” (Psalm 37:7,34). Patience is about how much we trust God. The quicker we become uptight about life and our predicaments, the less we really believe that he is with us and is in control.

The apostle James knew something about waiting—not just waiting for something desired but waiting on the Lord and trusting him during times of intense adversity. In his letter to the scattered and persecuted Jewish Christians of his day, he used various forms of the words wait, patience, and perseverance ten times. Besides these occurrences, the idea of patiently waiting is woven throughout the book. It takes much patience, for example, to “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).

James was the right person to deliver a message of patient endurance in trial and patient waiting for the return of Jesus. Because James was the half-brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55), some people might have thought he would be eligible for special treatment. But James knew the reality of persecution, and he never tried to claim special privilege. Instead, he identified himself simply as a “servant” of Jesus (James 1:1). To a group of people badly in need of wise counsel, James offered not an escape route but a path to spiritual maturity: Wait for the Lord. And as you follow this path, you too will discover that he is worth waiting for.

—Joe Stowell www.rbc.org

seeking: Father, what have I learned about trust from you today? How have you encouraged me to be patient and wait for you?

responding: What makes it difficult for me to be patient? • How is my trust in God reflected in my ability to be still and wait for him? • In what concerns will I wait patiently for him today?

Father, you have been so patient with me. Help me to imitate you in the way I face life's questions and challenges. I want to trust you with all that I am.

following: Yield to God's timetable—his timing is always perfect.

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