Patience

James 5:7-10

7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!

10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

There is a story about the Pope who was on a visit to America for a period of time. On his last day of the visit, he was delayed due to meetings and was unable to break away to catch a flight.

Since he couldn’t depend on his Pope Mobile, he phoned for a limousine. When the limousine arrived, the driver was joyfully surprised that it was the Pope who called for him. The driver became nervous and was beside himself. He proceeded to drive very slowly. The Pope became nervous and told him to hurry up. It did not make a bit of difference. The driver went slower; he wanted to keep the Pope in his limousine as long as he could. The Pope could not be delayed any longer so he asked to drive the limo himself. The Pope sped off and reached the speed of 85 miles an hour. The policeman who stopped him was shocked when he discovered the famous personality behind the wheel. He frantically phoned his police chief and said, “Chief, I have stopped a very important figure for speeding. I don’t know what to do?”

–“What do you mean? Give him a speeding ticket!”

–“Sir, in all honesty, I can’t.”

–“Why can’t you? The law is the law. Who is it anyway that you stopped? Is it the mayor?”

–“No, sir.”

–“Is it the governor?”

–“No, sir.”

–“Is it a congressman?”

–“Is it the president?”

–“No, sir.”

–“Well, then, who is it?!”

–“I don’t know sir! All I know is that the Pope is driving him to the airport.”

Even the Pope gets impatient.

When everything is going our way, patience is easy to demonstrate. The true test of patience comes when our rights are violated—when another car cuts us off in traffic; when we are treated unfairly; when our coworker derides our faith, again. When our kids aren’t acting the way we want them to.  When our spouse doesn’t do what we asked them to.  When we are in a hurry because we failed to plan. In these situations it is a lot more difficult to be patient because we think we have a right to get upset in the face of irritations and trials.

These situations are really opportunities  for us to exercise patience.

Take a look at this 30 second clip on patience

God doesn’t give us patience. He gives us the opportunity to be patient. God wants to produce patience in us.

Patience is not a passive waiting or a gentle tolerance. Just because someone is passive does not mean they are patient. Just because someone tolerates something gently does not mean they are patient.

Patience is a willful decision to suffer joyfully while the other person seemingly gets their way.

• You still love them.
• You let them get their way
• You surrender your rights to be right.
• You give up control.

Didn’t Jesus make a willful decision to suffer joyfully while those around  him seemingly got their way? He still loved them because he said, “father forgive them they know not what they do.” He let them get their way.  He didn’t say anything when he was on trial. Jesus surrendered himself. He was right and he did nothing wrong but they killed him anyway. Jesus gave up control of His life, His situation, and put his confidence in the promises of His Father.

The farmers and the prophets that James mentions in this passage do the same thing.

• When a farmer puts the seed in the ground he doesn’t know if it is going to get enough rain to make it grow.
• The OT prophet endured a lot of suffering speaking the name of the Lord in a culture that rejecting them and the message.

God wants to do the same in us. Why?

Because our impatience with people can destroy people’s lives.

• Our impatience with our kids can destroy their life
• Our impatience with our spouse can destroy their life
• Our impatience with those around us can destroy their life.

Our impatience with God can destroy our lives.

How do you get patience?

1. Think on how patient God is

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

He is patient for our sake. He does not want to destroy anyone. He wants everyone to repent.

Look at His patience with Israel throughout the OT. They constantly rebelled. He took them back. They rebelled. He took them back again. They rebelled again he took them back again. Look at his patience with Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, and the countless others who have failed. Look at His patience with you and me.

We learn about his patience for us through other people. As the scripture points out we need examples. Think of all the people who have been patient with you over the years. Those people who were willing to give you a chance. Allow you to make mistakes.  They endured or suffered joyfully, while you matured and grew up.

My wife is that person for me. She is not perfect by any means. She is perfect for me. Our first few years of marriage were not very pleasant for my wife. The one nice word that would describe me in those few years was a total butthead. Most first time husbands don’t really get what being a husband is about. I know I didn’t. God instructs men that they must leave their parents and cleave to their wife. If you noticed God didn’t have to say anything about the woman leaving and cleaving. They seem to get it quicker. There was one particular year that was really dark for me.  A year I wouldn’t want to relive.  In the ministry world they call it the “dark night” for the soul.  My wife was patient. She suffered joyfully. She endured as I sought counsel and probably praying “when is this guy ever going to change?”

Another great picture of patience was my dad.  As a kid, I got to share him with 3-400 other kids in the community. My dad “suffered joyfully”. I watched other kids hit him. I watch other kids spit on him. I listened while some kids called him names that I can’t repeat. How do I know he suffered joyfully? He kept going back day after day. Giving hope to kids who didn’t have dads.

For me these were beautiful pictures of God’s patience with me.

Think about someone who has been patient (suffered joyfully) with you. Then “pay it forward” to your kids,  “pay it  forward” to your spouse,” pay it forward” to the person who cuts  you off. “Pay it forward” to those annoying people in your life. At one point in your life you were annoying. You were childish,  you were thinking only of yourself.

2. Endure under suffering

Read the book of Job. He lost his family, his wealth, and his health and not once did he curse God. Not once did he turn his back on God. He endured. Why did he endure?

Because had confidence that God was in control. Look at what he says in vs. 21 (Job 1)

²¹ He said,

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”

Despite his suffering. Despite having lost everything. He stayed around until the end of the story. He didn’t give up on God and his relationship him. Because he had confidence that God was in control, Job was patient with his bitter wife and his wonderful friends who tried to convince him that he had done something to deserve all this he was going through.

The book of Job is the text-book of how to endure suffering.

3. Ask for it

Then wait. Patience does not develop overnight (remember last week – there is nothing good about us. We are all flawed.)

The opportunities will come.

• The next time someone cuts you off – thank God for them
• The next you are betrayed by a friend or family – pray for them
• The next time someone makes fun of you  – remember that you belong to God.

The work of the Holy Spirit and God’s goodness are crucial to the development of patience.

• Let God change the way you think.
• Let God change you!
• Let’s stop blaming our impatience on everyone and everything else. It’s not their fault. The impatience was already inside of you. The irritable situation just brought out what was already there.
  • Adam blamed Eve and God
  • Eve blamed the serpent
  • We blame others for what was already inside of us.

All of the things we walk through in life are an opportunity for God to do the amazing in our life.

Look at what the scriptures continue to say:

Colossians 1:11 tells us that we are strengthened by Him to “great endurance and patience,”

James 1:3-4 encourages us to know that trials are His way of perfecting our patience.

Our patience is further developed and strengthened by resting in God’s perfect will and timing, even in the face of evil men who “succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes” (Psalm 37:7).

Our patience is rewarded in the end “because the Lord’s coming is near” (James 5:7-8).

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him” (Lamentations 3:25).

Put your confidence in the one who invented patience and allow Him to finish this part of  your story.