Wait Patiently / David Jeremiah

 

Wait Patiently You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:8    When societies were agrarian, children grew up learning about how things grow. They learned that some crops grow underground—like potatoes, beets, carrots, garlic, radishes—and must be pulled out of the ground when harvested. More than one impatient child over the years has made the mistake of pulling a tiny plant out of the ground prematurely because, “I wanted to see how well it was growing!” A lesson in patience soon followed.

Recommended Reading: James 5: 7 – 12

The New Testament’s world was agrarian; it is filled with illustrations related to agriculture. The apostle James used such an illustration when writing about Christ’s Second Coming. His exhortation was for his readers to be patient—just as the farmer has to wait for his “precious fruit . . . until it receives the early and latter rain” (James 5:7). Only then is the harvest ready. But such waiting is not idle waiting. It is anticipatory, preparatory, and proactive. And so is our waiting for the return of Christ. Our preparation involves standing firm, establishing and keeping our hearts in faith, our hands busy with the Lord’s work. As we patiently, but actively, wait for the harvest, so we wait for Jesus’ return. I am packed, sealed, and waiting for the post. John Newton