"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. You too, be patient and stand firm...Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed all those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."
- James 5:7-11
The concepts of patience and perseverance have been frequent concepts swarming in my mind as of late. They are both two different concepts that readily need to put hand in hand. We can believe we are being patient when no answers come to our situations, while still having a negative attitude and being stressed beyond belief. But when we put patience and perseverance together we get a whole different picture. There stands the possibility of strength, confidence and even hope.
Patience is not an easy concept to come to accept. God asks that we be patient and wait while also persevering. There are several different circumstances or suffering we have to go through in life that include the vital acceptance of patience. The suffering the prophets went through in the Bible may not be exactly what you are going through but suffering comes in many different forms.
Take a look at your life right now. What suffering are you having to endure? Maybe it's big, maybe its small. We all have to face reality at some point when we are in the midsts of our own or another's suffering. I love how this verse reflects back on Job. He was a man who faced more suffering I believe then any of us ever will. He literally lost everything with exception of his life. If anyone had a reason not to be patient and persevere it was Job.
Job chose to persevere even when those around him told him to give up. His best friends and even his wife told him to give up, give in, let go and just die. Talk about a bummer of people to be around. These were not supportive people that encouraged Job to want to persevere but that is exactly what he did. He choose to trust in God's plan for him. He persevered even when it was most difficult for him and in the end he was blessed with even more then he had before his suffering.
Does this mean that we should only feel happy when suffering? No, that is impossible. What we do need to do is persevere in the midst of feeling unsure about what comes next. We need to be patient and wait of God. When we call out to him, He will help us persevere even in the gravest of situations. As the end of this verse says, "The Lord is full of compassion and Mercy." Whatever your suffering big or small remember God is compassionate and merciful. Be patient and persevere ... God will show up and answer. Who knows you may even be blessed more then you could have ever dreamed.
Thought for the day: Are we willing to be patient and trust in God's mercy and compassion in your suffering?
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