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7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. (James 5:7-10 NRSV) Patience is on the big list of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. It's fourth on that list. So, we can say it's a big deal. As I'm typing this I'm thinking of the situations and settings where patience is just missing. I think of the way some Texas drivers drive. And the old joke about "If you took all the cars in the world and lined them all up in one line, some idiot from Houston would stil be tryinig to pass them!" I think about a groom at the altar as he awaits his bride to make the march to him. I think about moms about to deliver their firstborn and their husbands and grandparents. And I always think about the song by the group The Talking Heads, No Compassion that says, "They say that patience is a virtue, but I don't have the time," a reflection on the perception of reality of patience in modern day life.
The patience here is what Paul is asking believers have as they await the coming of the Lord. Paul's once urgent message about Jesus coming soon, had changed as the days, weeks, months, and years made people wonder, "Where is Jesus?" And more so as more and more loved ones died at the hands of the government persecution and execution of believers. "Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord." The word "therefore" points back to the preceding verses where James has been addressing injustice, oppression, and the suffering of the righteous. His counsel to those enduring hardship isn't "fight back" or "demand your rights" or "take matters into your own hands." It's "be patient." This isn't passive resignation but active, expectant waiting rooted in confidence that the Lord is coming. The Greek word for "patient" (makrothymeō) literally means "long-tempered"—the opposite of short-tempered. It's the capacity to endure difficult circumstances without losing hope, to wait through delays without giving up, to suffer injustice without seeking revenge. James addresses his readers as "beloved"—a tender reminder that they're loved by God even when circumstances suggest otherwise. During Advent, we practice this patience, remembering that God's timing isn't our timing, that His delays are purposeful, and that waiting itself is formative.
James then offers a powerful metaphor: "The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains." In Israel's agricultural calendar, the early rains came in October/November to soften the ground for plowing and planting, while the late rains came in March/April to bring the crops to maturity before harvest. Between these rains was a long season of waiting—months when the farmer could do nothing but trust that the seed was germinating underground, that roots were developing, that growth was happening even when nothing was visible. The farmer's patience isn't passive; it's grounded in knowledge of how seeds grow and confidence that rain will come. Similarly, our Advent waiting is informed by knowledge of what God has promised and confidence that He keeps His word. "You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near." The command to "strengthen your hearts" suggests that patience requires active effort—we must fortify ourselves against doubt, discouragement, and despair. We strengthen our hearts by remembering God's faithfulness, rehearsing His promises, and encouraging one another. The motivation is clear: "the coming of the Lord is near." This wasn't just for James' original readers; every generation lives in the reality that Christ's return is imminent, that history is moving toward its appointed conclusion, that our waiting has a definite end.
James then addresses a danger that emerges during long seasons of waiting: "Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!" When we're suffering and waiting feels endless, we become irritable, critical, and quick to find fault with fellow believers. Waiting reveals character flaws we might otherwise keep hidden. James warns against grumbling—the bitter complaining that erodes community and reveals hearts that have stopped trusting God's goodness. The word "grumble" (stenazō) can also mean "sigh" or "groan"—it's the internal frustration that finds expression in criticism of others. James' warning is sobering: if we judge our brothers and sisters, we'll be judged. The Judge is standing at the doors—not far away or delayed, but right at the threshold, about to enter. This should make us take seriously how we treat one another during seasons of difficulty. Our impatience with each other reveals our impatience with God. Our criticism of fellow believers often masks our disappointment with God's timing.
James concludes with a call to remember exemplars of faithful endurance: "As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord." The prophets experienced rejection, persecution, imprisonment, and martyrdom. They proclaimed God's word faithfully even when it was ignored, mocked, or violently opposed. They waited for promises to be fulfilled—promises they often didn't see in their lifetimes. Yet they remained faithful. Their patience wasn't naive optimism but battle-tested endurance forged through suffering. They're examples not because their waiting was easy but because they kept going when it was hard. During Advent, we join a long line of faithful waiters—Abraham waiting for a son, Moses waiting to enter the Promised Land, the exiles waiting to return home, the prophets waiting for the Messiah, the disciples waiting for the Spirit, the early church waiting for Christ's return. We're part of this great cloud of witnesses who have learned that God is worth waiting for, that His promises are trustworthy, and that patient endurance produces character, hope, and ultimately joy. The season of Advent trains us for the larger reality of Christian life—we're people who live between the advents, who have seen Christ come once and await His coming again, who experience the kingdom's arrival while longing for its fullness, who know the end of the story while still living in the middle chapters. Our waiting isn't empty or meaningless; it's purposeful, formative, and certain to end when the Lord returns.
PRAYER: Lord, give us patient hearts to wait well for Your coming, strengthen us against discouragement and grumbling, and help us remember the prophets who endured suffering while trusting Your promises—teach us that waiting for You is never wasted time but the very process through which You form us into Your likeness, in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: When you feel impatient with God's timing or tempted to grumble against others, pause and ask God what He might be growing in you during this season of waiting that couldn't develop any other way, trusting that like the farmer's crop, spiritual maturity requires both early and late rains.
I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me. Show others patience in how you live your life trusting in the Lord.
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
