Only one item remained on my to-do list that Saturday afternoon. I went to complete it and sought my wife’s help; she too had a list of tasks and was not yet ready to assist me.
“When will you be done?”
“Shortly.”
“Can you hurry…I hate waiting…”
“I know dear,” she replied as she continued on her duty.
It’s true — I do hate waiting, but I didn’t realize it was so terribly obvious that she didn’t even flinch at my revelation. I guess I should have realized how apparent my impatience is — I am impatient with slow internet connections (has it really taken 30 seconds to download that file?), at red lights, the arrival of mail — both snail and electronic — and my sanctification (how’s that for irony!).
I needed need some help. And my guess is, so do you. James, the half-brother of our Savior provides the encouragement and exhortation we need. In James 5, he offers one reason that we are quick to impatience, and an oft-overlooked answer to that impatience.
In verses 1-6, James recounts the plight of the rich. His emphasis is not on those who merely possess wealth, but those who put their trust and hope in wealth. He notes that these idolators are facing miseries that should elicit grief-stricken weeping (v. 1); their riches have disappeared and their treasured possessions have been eaten away by moths and tarnished by rust (vv. 2-3); while they have enjoyed pleasure on earth and fraudulently stolen from the needy, they now face judgment and condemnation from God who has seen and heard their sins (vv. 4-6).
The conclusion James draws from this circumstance is perhaps unanticipated: “Therefore, be patient.” Be patient? What kind of a conclusion is this from the warning to the ungodly wealthy? It is the same kind of conclusion offered by the psalmist —
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.” (Ps. 37:1–2 NASB)
One primary reason men worry and are impatient is because of the perception that the ungodly succeed in their sin and avoid justice. Both the psalmist and James offer a different conclusion. The sinner will face justice. Do not worry. Do not be anxious. Be patient with the timing of the Lord.
The antidote to our impatience is to wait like the farmer waits for his crops. He plants his seed and knows that while he needs both sun and rain for them to grow, that one rain does not guarantee a successful crop and one week of cloud does not mean the sun won’t ever shine. He waits, knowing the months until the harvest are long and there are many events that will intervene before the crop is taken into the barns and evaluated. In the same way, the believer waits (and does not complain, v.9), knowing that whatever inequities he experiences or sees, the Lord’s coming is near (i.e., soon), and all will be made right (v. 8).
This has always been the activity of God’s people, as the prophets demonstrated. They suffered and endured, knowing and trusting in the Lord’s compassion and mercy (vv. 10-11). And the grace of God that sustained men like Job and the prophets is the same grace that sustains you and me.
Do not worry. Be patient. The Lord will rectify every wrong and will reward every act of righteousness. And it will happen soon.
Words of Grace 