Wait Patiently – James 5

Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. James 5:7-8

Wait Patiently – A James 5 Devotional

We are at the end of our study of James! Congratulations on keeping on until the end of the study of James!

Coming into chapter five, let’s remember where we ended chapter four. At the end of the last chapter, James warned against arrogance. At the start of this chapter, he cautions the rich with strong language.

James condemns the wealthy for hoarding their riches, cheating their workers, and living overly indulgent lives while others are in need.

Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Armies. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who does not resist you. James 5:1-6

He seems to be transitioning from warning about the arrogance of presumptuous planning to the arrogance of reliance on riches.

Patiently Wait

Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. James 5:7-8

We don’t have to have all the indulgence and wealth here on earth. We store up our treasures in Heaven and wait patiently for the Lord. James encourages us to strengthen our hearts to trust His ways and not the world’s methods.

It is interesting to me that we are to strengthen our own hearts. It is very active on our parts. Active devotion to God involves us strengthening our own hearts and building up our “trust muscles” to keep faith in God and His plans and timing.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ

James also comes back around to how we treat other believers.

Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door! James 5:9

If we complain about other believers and judge them, we are going to be judged by God, the only One who has the right to judge. In our culture, it is commmonplace to judge those around us, but James warns us not to be like the world.

What Example Do We Follow

We are to follow the example of the prophets. We are to endure faithfully…to wait patiently. Then, we will see the compassion and mercy of the Lord on display.

Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about—the Lord is compassionate and merciful. James 5:10-11

Tame that Tongue, One More Way

Next, James reminds us of chapter three’s main focus of taming the tongue, but he gets really specific.

Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment. James 5:12

This combines the idea of avoiding the arrogance of presumptuous planning and getting control of a troublesome tongue. We don’t need to embellish our responses with oaths and swearing. A simple yes or no is completely sufficient. God’s Word is trustworthy. Our words should be able to stand as honest and trustworthy too.

Again, James gives us practical instruction on how to interact with other people. And he continues…

How Should We Function as the Local Church

Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. James 5:13-16

Pray for those who are suffering. Sing praises together in joyful times. When sickness comes, anoint with oil and pray for healing. When we get off track in sin, come to one another in humility and confess.

Pray, Pray, Pray for One Another

James highlights the power of praying for one another. In all times of need, we pray for each other. This is such a nice opposite of judging one another or complaining about one another. When there is a problem, we have a choice. To judge our brother or sister in Christ, or to pray for them and help them.

Prayer is the Powerful Choice

Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit. James 5:17-18

Calling up the example of Elijah, the famous prophet, we are encouraged to pray and wait patiently. All of the ideas of this chapter (and the whole book) are woven together. Pray and watch to see what God will do in the natural world on our behalf!

Last But Not Least

My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20

While we are walking the Christ-centered path, some of our family in Christ might stray from that path. James instructs us on what to do when that happens. We are not to judge them, but to reach out and draw them lovingly back to the Christ-centered path.

The book of James is full of his best tips for walking the Christ-centered path. I feel like this final chapter of James is a reminder to be patient with ourselves and others as we walk this path together. To keep coming back to God in prayer for our own walk and for others.

Action Step:

Wrapping up this study of the book of James, let’s work to apply everything we have learned while we wait patiently on the Lord…to come again, to answer prayers, to speak into our lives. What stood out to you?

Take a moment today to think how to ramp up your Christ-centered life by applying the teachings of James.

Sometimes, I don’t have enough patience with myself or others. I set my expectations too high for others or expect God to answer my prayers immediately when it is not in Him timing to do so.

I need to wait patiently while I pray more.

Prayer:

Dear God, help me to come to you in prayer with patience for Your timing. Remind me to give grace to others and myself. Help me to keep applying the teachings in Your Word to my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.