James 5:7-11

            {Prayer}

 Pop quiz time. Please feel free to say the answer out loud if you know it.

1. I want it ___________.
2. I said, “Do it ____________.”
3. Not next week, not next month, not tomorrow but __________.
4. Dear God, give me patience and give it to me _____________!

Good job! So often, when we want something, we want it right … now! After all, we have instant coffee, instant potatoes, instant breakfast and instant pudding. Then, we want an instant diet. And you’re probably waiting for me to preach an instant sermon … well, don’t hold your breath. That’s not going to happen.

We are surrounded by TikTok videos, YouTube and Facebook reels, 30 second ads, 30-minute sit-coms, and 60-minute mini-dramas. All this reinforces our need for everything to happen right … now!

James says this morning that one of the signs that I’m maturing in my faith is that I stop demanding that everyone serves my every need right … now!

And so that means I need patience. The Greek word that James uses for patience is macrothumia. It’s a compound of two Greek words, macro meaning long and thumos meaning heat. Macrothumia. It means that it takes a long time to heat up and to blow up. Macrothumia appears five times in our reading. James also uses a related term, persevere, two times. I wonder … is James trying to tell us something? Maybe it’s that I need to be patient.

I need to be patient when circumstances are uncontrollable. “See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains” (James 5:7). Farmers know, they have no more control of the rain than I do in us receiving an Associate Pastor. We have to learn to be patient.

We have to learn to be patient because life is all about waiting. I remember how I couldn’t wait to for summer to come so I could be out of school. I couldn’t wait for high school to be over. I couldn’t wait to fall in love. I couldn’t wait to get married. I couldn’t wait to have kids. I couldn’t wait for my kids to walk and talk. Now I can’t wait for them to sit still and be quiet. I need patience when circumstances are uncontrollable. Circumstances like rain, raising children, paying off my mortgage and retiring.

I need to be patient when people are unchangeable. James continues, “Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord” (5:10). Prophets like Elijah, Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. They spoke the word of the Lord to their king and none of those kings changed. They spoke the word of God to the people and none of the people changed. You’d never believe it, but by nature, people don’t change, they resist it.

My father-in-law has a saying that goes like this … There are four ways to do something. There is your way, my way, the right way, and the wrong way … and only one of them is wrong. But for some people, it’s their way or the highway. And because of that … I need patience.

I need patience when problems are unexplainable. James says, “You have heard of Job’s perseverance” (5:11). Another Greek compound word, hypomone. Hypo meaning under and mone meaning remain. Remain under God’s will. And that’s another word for patience.

Job is the epitome of a sufferer. Job lost his family, his farm, and all his finances. He suffered materially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Then one day, his wife comes up to him and says, “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Thanks babe! Love you too! You see, the Lord allowed Satan to take everything away from Job, except a nagging wife. But the worst part about Job’s suffering is that it was all unexplainable. For 37 chapters, God does not talk to Job. For 37 chapters, God is silent. Five times in chapter 3, Job asks God “why?”, and God is silent. I need patience when problems are unexplainable, when God is silent, and I have no idea what is going on.

To practice patience, I must realize that … God is in control. “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming … the Lord’s coming is near … the Judge is standing at the door” (James 5:7-9). The Second Coming of Jesus is the ultimate proof that God is in control. Nothing happens by chance. Life is not a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing. One sixth of the New Testament is about the Second Coming of our Lord. At the appointed time, the archangel Michael will sound the trumpet and Jesus will come to take His Bride away. Although a situation is out of my control … it’s not out of God’s control.

To practice patience, I must realize that … God blesses patience. “As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered” (James 5:11). It pays to be patient, to persevere with the Lord, with our spouses, our children, and even with ourselves. God blesses patience. There are all kinds blessings. Our character grows. We’re more joyful. People like us. We get along with family members. We’re nice to outsiders.

Have you ever watched people wait for an elevator? Some people are swayers. They just sway back and forth. Some are pushers, they’re always pushing the button. Some people finally bail out and take the stairs. Whether we’re swaying, pushing buttons, or taking the stairs, the key is to trust the process and not rush God’s timing. God knows when the door should open.

God knows because God is working things out. “You’ve heard of Job’s perseverance and see what the Lord finally brought about” (James 5:11). Job was doubly blessed at the end of his suffering. In the end, God restored Job’s health, doubled his wealth, and gave him a new family. God turned Job’s patience into a testimony of God’s faithfulness. Job’s story reminds us that while we wait, God is working, God is brining blessings we can’t even imagine. But how do we live out this kind of patience in our everyday lives? Think about this for a moment.

Think about a seed. When you plant it in the soil, it seems like nothing is happening. Days, weeks, maybe even months go by, and you wonder if it was worth the effort. But under the surface, God is at work. The seed splits, roots grow, and soon life breaks through the soil. It reminds us that patience isn’t passive … it’s trusting God to work, even when we can’t see the outcomes.

Jesus Himself often compared the Kingdom of God to a seed. It is small, hidden, but full of life and power. And just as the farmer trusts God to bring the harvest, we trust God to bring the blessings beyond what we can imagine.

This same Jesus who taught us about the Kingdom also showed us the ultimate example of patience. He endured the cross, He waited for the joy set before Him, the redemption of the world and our salvation. His death and resurrection are proof that God’s timing, though slower than ours, brings about something infinitely better. It brings about eternal life.

So, as you go into this week, let me challenge you. Who in your life needs you to plant seeds of patience? Is it your spouse? Your children? Yourself? What would trusting God’s timing look like in that situation?

Let’s wait well … not with frustration, but with faith. Let’s wait well because the God who raised Jesus from the dead is the same God working in your life today, bringing all things together for His glory and our eternal good.

And if you ever feel like giving up … remember the words of Isaiah 40:31, “Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Amen.

The peace of God, that surpasses all human understanding, guard you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.