Learning to be Patient

There are lots of things in life that test our patience. Being stuck on freeways, waiting in long lines, learning a new skill, etc., etc. Most of us hate situations where we have to be patient, because we are not naturally patient people.  We are part of what is called the "now" generation. Technology has made life easier and faster. We have cell phones, email, texting, and Skype etc. We have remote controls on just about everything, so doing stuff is faster and easier. We have fast food, fast cars, fast relationships, and fast everything.

But sometimes technology gets ahead of reality. The truth is life does have some built-in waiting periods. We can't always get what we want when we want it. And the problem is many of us haven't completely learned how to deal with that. So that’s what I want to talk about in this blog. To help us do that we will use select passages from Chapter 5 in the Book of James. In this chapter James uses the word “patience” or “perseverance” six different times. And he uses three illustrations. He uses a farmer. He uses Old Testament prophets. And he uses the story of Job. And as he uses these illustrations he talks about three different aspects of patience. He talks about WHEN we need to be patient. WHY we need to be patient. And HOW to be patient. I want to talk about all three.

Let’s begin with WHEN we need to be patient. In Chapter 5 James describes three different situations, and they are universal. The first situation is when circumstances are beyond our control.

That's a universal problem - just about everything in life fits into this category. For example, have you ever had to wait for a plane? Have you ever been stuck in traffic when you needed to get somewhere quickly? Have you ever had your computer crash? At the worst time. Life is full of circumstances like these. James uses a farmer as an example of dealing with this problem. Take a look at James 5:7.

“Be patient until the Lord’s coming.  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

There are two key words that I want you to notice in this passage – the words are "patient" and "waits". James says that farming is pretty much out of the farmer’s control. All the farmer can do is till the land, plant some seed and maybe fertilize it. The rest is out of his control.  For example - weather.  Will there be the right amount of sunshine and rain?  Will there be disasters like floods or tornadoes?  Will pests and insects eat the crops?  The farmer has no control over any of these factors, even if he’s the best farmer in the universe.  All he can do is his part, and then wait patiently for the harvest to come. James says - when circumstances are out of our control, we have to be like the farmer.   We have to do what we are capable of doing, and then we have to be patient while waiting for the results.

OK, that's the first situation - when circumstances are beyond our control. Let's talk about a second situation when we need to be patient

A second situation is when we are dealing with difficult people. Once again this is common problem, because we encounter difficult people all the time. Now you can relate to them in one of two ways. You can either avoid them, or you can engage them, and there really isn't any middle ground. It's one or the other. If you choose engage them - you will have to be patient, because at some point you will end up in a confrontation with them. James uses Old Testament prophets to illustrate this point.  Take a look at James 5:10.

“Follow the example of the prophets who spoke for the Lord.  They suffered many hard things, but they were patient.” James 5:10

Old Testament prophets were God’s spokespersons. They would confront the people with their sins, and they would exhort them to change. Their favorite statement was, “Thus sayith the Lord…”, and they would tell the people what God wanted them to do.  But in most cases people were not that receptive, and they weren’t interested in changing. So Old Testament prophets often took a lot of rejection and abuse. Dealing with difficult people is hard. James says when we do that, we have to be like the prophets.  We have to be patient.

A third situation when we need to be patient is when we don't have all the answers. It’s often said that life is not fair, but God never says that it will be. A classic example of this is the story of Job.  James 5:11 says,

“We give great honor to those who endure (patience) under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance (patience). You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.” James 5:11

Job played in the super bowl of suffering.  He was the wealthiest man in the world at that time.  He had a large ranch with lots of cattle and sheep.  He had lots of people working for him. He was a multi millionaire. He also had a big family. And he was a devout believer - a true man of God.  And he lived a life above reproach.  And then one day disaster struck. Every one of his sons and daughters were either killed or abducted.  His sheep and cattle were stolen. Everything was burnt up.  He lost it all.  And he also developed a very painful disease that was incurable.  And that all happened in one day!! Some us think we have it tough!  And then to make matters worse his wife says, “Job, why don’t you just curse God and die?” God took everything away - except his nagging wife.  And then his 3 closest friends came to comfort him, and they told him, “It’s your fault!”  "You must have done something wrong." How would you like to have a support group like that?  And so Job says, “Why me?”  “None of this makes sense.”

But Job somehow hung in there. There were times when he was close to giving up. There were many times he questioned God. And there were times he wanted to check out. But in the end he said,

“I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” Job 42:6

Job finally realized that God was sovereign and owed him no explanation. Isn't that an amazing conclusion! How many of us would feel that way if we went through what Job went through? Well, in the end God restored Job, and he lived another 140 years and died an old man. James says we need to patient like Job when we don't have the answers.

Alright, we have covered 3 situations when we need to be patient. Next week we will continue our discussion. Until then think about your life. Where do you need to be patient?

Questions?  Contact Pastor Bob at:  bob@riverrecoverychurch.com or visit: www.riverrecoverychurch.com