GOD’S WORD—James 5:7-8
Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
MEDITATION
In an age where gratification isn’t gratification unless it is instant, today’s Scripture about being patient seems hopelessly naïve and profoundly out of date. Wanting what we want when we want it is not the sole domain of the toddler; it rides along with us at nearly every stage of life. We tend to brush aside any and all urgings to be patient.
If impatience ever had soft and dull edges, it must have been long ago. Based on any one of a number of experiences, impatience has since been sharpened into a way of life. The thought is that we can’t sit still and wait. Patience, we have somehow concluded, is the lot of those who let life pass them by.
But then there’s the farmer. The farmer knows the harvest isn’t safe in the silo on the day after the seeds were planted. The anticipated results will require patience. After the farmer plants the seeds, control is basically surrendered. The farmer is at the mercy of the elements.
As children of God’s covenant, you and I are at the mercy of the Almighty! Words from the Almighty, like seeds in the ground, are planted in our minds and hearts. They take root and grow. There will be a harvest for the Lord of the harvest. The gift and practice of patience allow us to savor the growth process. A good-natured expectancy and a lively hope ensue. Impatience is hard on the heart. Patience strengthens it.
PRAYER
Lord, we beseech You, give ear to our prayers, and enlighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
VERSE
From the manger newborn light sends a glory through the night.
Darkness now must fade away; faith within the light shall stay.
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