Patience testers . . .

Yesterday we drove through the countryside, about two hours to our destination. Most of the scenery involved harvest, swaths of grain ready for the combine, or farmers hard at it with large equipment bringing their crops from the fields to trucks then to grain bins. It brought back memories of my childhood, especially when I took lunch or a cool drink out to my father, riding my horse through the stubble and glad to be helpful in a small way.

It also reminded me of the patience of farmers. This has been an unusual year with lots of rain and not enough heat and sunshine to quickly bring the crops ready for harvest. Then parts of our province received an unusual snowstorm, about three feet of it burying the grain and delaying harvest even longer. Some crops were ruined, good only for silage.

Yesterday’s reading hinted at patience; today’s is more direct:

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. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (James 5:7–11)

Farmers are an example of patience. They cannot do much about the delays caused by weather. Prophets are another example. They could not do much about the disobedience of the people. I think of my own ‘patience testers’ such as changes in expectations, interruptions, even ‘wait’ as an answer to my prayers. It is not a surprise that this passage soon moves into the topic of prayer . . .

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. (James 5:13–18)

The examples here include sick people who want to be well. For them, God says the priority is first being spiritually well — accomplished by keeping short accounts with God, and with one another. For some, it is easier to confess to God than to one another but that can be an important part of spiritual healing.

Another example is Elijah. He had a sin nature just like mine, but he kept short accounts as a prophet of God and he listened to the Lord. His prayers about rain were not selfish (like praying for sunshine because I have a picnic planned) but God told him to pray this way because He had a reason for this long drought.

The point of this passage is to pray when our patience is tried, which is affirmed in the rest of the Bible. Who else can take me through the tests that try my patience? I can seek God’s power to either change my situation or give me whatever I need to endure it, not with gritted teeth but with grace, trusting God that His timing is perfect. The harvest will come, just as He promises:

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Lord Jesus, seeing the harvest is a totally pleasant experience. It pictures the fulfilment of Your promise that all that I do and hope for that is in Your will is never a waste of time or effort. I might not see the results now, or right away, but You are faithful; You do what You promise to do.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- A good message today about accepting those others usually reject.

- meeting new people at brunch.

- finding a caddy for my sewing supplies.

- an afternoon making stuffing, pumpkin cheesecake, and other goodies.

- fatigue, the good kind from working hard.

- being able to watch sports on television.