Patience is essential for the farmer. A farmer must continue looking positively toward the future during dry spells, unpredictable weather and equipment failures. Patience is essential because a farm does not produce cash on a daily basis, it may take months or years for the farmer to get paid.
Patience is essential for you and me, just to get through this life. Life comes with many hard spells, unpredictable losses and disappointing failures. God wants us to be patient. He promises to be with us in times of trouble. There are many times, however, when you and I have not been patient – when we have doubted God and his presence. We even blame God at times when trouble comes to us.
Patience comes to us when we understand that God is in control and that He has made promises about our future. God promises that our future is secure in heaven because Jesus suffered for us. Jesus, God’s one and only Son, patiently endured the hardship of the crucifixion. Even though He was innocent, He suffered for you and me, making our sin and guilt His own. He died and rose to life again. On account of His Son, God forgives us for our failures and our impatience. God promises that all who believe in His Son have eternal life in heaven – guaranteed!
A frightened Kindergartener can endure the first day of school because she knows that her mother will return again in the afternoon – she is reliable. You and I can be patient, waiting for the Lord’s return, because He is perfectly reliable. The Bible demonstrates that He has never gone back on his word and assures us that He never will. Come, Lord Jesus!
“Be patient, then, brothers, 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