James 5:7-8
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Patience
Patience is a virtue they say. Just not one that very many of us have. We want whatever we want, whether it’s a thing, or something that is supposed to happen, or a next step on the journey, we want it all to happen now.
The people James was writing to were waiting for Jesus to come again – and needed a whole lot of patience because that wasn’t in the short term plan, no matter how much they wanted it to be.
One of the movies in the “O God” series has a scene in which Morgan Freeman – whose voice really does sound otherworldly – tells the woman praying for patience that when you pray for patience, God gives you opportunities to practice it.
This scripture’s metaphor about the farmer helps me get the concept of practicing patience. As we pay attention to our need for patience, we might want to think about what it is we are waiting for, and consider how we can be like the farmer, and tend carefully to the garden as we wait.
Prayer: Dear God, With some amount of trepidation I pray for patience today, asking you for helping tend your gardens as I wait. In Jesus Name, Amen
Reflection Questions:
1) What are you waiting for, that is hard to wait for today?
2) What would it look like to tend the gardens of your life as you wait for them to bear fruit?
3) Do you feel like patience is something you have learned to practice?