The Pitfalls of Waiting


James 5:7-9
7Be 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.

8You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.



It is a rare individual who doesn’t mind waiting. In fact, I doubt if I’ve ever met anyone who would fall into that category. Waiting makes us anxious. After James tells the rich (probably the unbelieving rich) what their fascination with money is going to get them, he turns his attention back to the believer, who in many cases were the victims of the rich business man’s greed. And what is his word for them? Be patient in waiting. Strike two.



Having grown up in an agrarian family, I know what it means to wait upon the weather. If it rains too soon, you can’t get into the field. If it rains too late, your seeds won’t germinate and sprout at the correct time. If it rains too much – well, you get the idea. Once that seed is in the ground, you just wait, and wait, and wait. You can’t rush the process and you have absolutely no control over the growth in the field. The success of the crop lies completely in God’s hands. After the great depression, a time of no rain – at all, the family was desperate for a good crop. It was 1941 and the drought that strangled the Midwest during the 30’s finally ended. The rains were perfect and the crops grew in abundance. After 10 years of nothing, the crop was going to break records. The night before the harvest, as happens often on summer evenings in South Dakota, the storms started to blow through. That night the storm was filled with hail. In 30 seconds the entire crop was taken to the ground and beat to pieces. My dad reports that it was the only time in his life he saw his father cry. Grandpa just shook his head and said, “I guess God will have to provide another way again this year.” The wait had been for naught!



But our wait in the Lord is never like that. While the wait may be difficult the Lord will indeed return for us. He may come on the clouds yet tonight in the Second Coming and take us all home with Him. Or He may come for us individually in our own death at a time that only He knows. Either way, eventually our wait will be over and we will rest with the Lord. His coming is at hand. So while we wait, we watch and are ready for His eminent return. That means we guard our hearts and keep them close to Him. We patiently “establish our hearts”. That means to make sure we are constantly centered on Him, seeking His face and living to act upon His will. That guarantees that our wait will not be in vain and that waiting time will be well spent.

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