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. You also be patient.
– James 5:7–8
Twice in these two verses, we are commanded by God to be patient, which is not easy for us to do, is it? I think about waiting in many different ways and times, seasons in my life where I’ve been waiting for something and patience is a challenge in the waiting, to endure day after day after day in waiting, not knowing how or when something might be resolved.
James 5:7–8 teaches us the virtue of patience in waiting for the Lord.
And, well, even as I’m saying this, I won’t go into details, but yeah, I’m waiting right now and I need this word from God to be patient. And the beauty of this verse, so what I want you to notice and I hope you’ll be encouraged by, is that while there are some circumstances, important circumstances, that we aren’t sure how or when or whether they’ll be resolved in this way or that way, James 5:7 is telling us that the most important matter for which we wait is guaranteed to happen.
Be patient, therefore brothers, until the coming of the Lord. In other words, you know for sure that one day, it could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be many years from now, but one day guaranteed, the Lord is coming back. Jesus is coming back, and his righteousness and peace and justice will reign on the earth. And all things, all things that we have walked through, he will have worked together for good. That’s a guarantee from God. He is going to return and on that day we will not wonder about his justice or his goodness or his righteousness. All these things will be crystal clear to us and we will be with him. One of my favorite songs over the last year specifically is from friends and brothers Shane & Shane. I know how the story ends, we will be with him again.
James 5:7–8 encourages us to endure hardships while awaiting Christ’s return.
We know he’s already won the ultimate battle, and yes, we’re waiting. To be clear, we are still waiting for the end to come about and for the full consummation of his victory and his righteous rule and reign over all things. But it’s coming, so be patient. Be patient. No matter what you’re walking through. In Christ, be patient. Oh God, I pray for patience in my own life. I pray for patience over every single person listening right now, especially those who are walking through a season of waiting.
God, I pray for their patience. I pray for the fruit of your spirit in this way. It doesn’t come naturally to us. Oh God, we confess we’re impatient people. We want to control things. We want to make this or that happen. God, we want to manufacture this or that. We want resolution. And God, we praise you that ultimate resolution is coming, that your peace and righteous reign is coming.
Prayer for the Luwathiya People
And so we say come Lord Jesus, come quickly. Even as we wait patiently, help us to wait. And God, we praise you for this hope. We think about people who are waiting in this world but don’t have this hope of what’s to come. God, for the Luwathiya people of Oman. 40,000 strong, the largest Shia Muslim group in Oman, they don’t have this hope in you, Jesus.
So we’ve prayed the gospel would spread to the Luwathiya people, that they might be reached with the good news of your grace and your love, that they might be reached with hope in Jesus. God, we pray that over the Luwathiya people and we pray that today in the lives of people around us who are also in seasons and in times of waiting. We pray to you to help us, to be an encouragement to them, to point them to you. Jesus, help us. According to your Word in James 5:7–8, to be patient in the waiting. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
