Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
Today’s scripture about patience is written in the context of waiting patiently for Christ’s return, but it applies to many areas of our lives.
Patience is not simply the ability to wait; it is the ability to keep a good attitude while we are waiting. Patience is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit that can be developed only under trial. This is why God allows us to go through challenges and trials instead of delivering us from them as quickly as we would like. He always has a plan to bring us through the difficult times we face, but He uses difficult times to help us grow so we will be stronger and have greater faith when the trial is over.
We can learn a lot about patience by thinking about farmers who wait for their harvests. The lesson here is that while we wait for something, we simply need to do what we know to do. That’s how a farmer waits when expecting a crop. They water their seeds and pull the weeds—over and over again, day after day. Likewise, as we wait for God to bring something to pass for us, we keep doing what we know to do—pray, spend time in the Word, stand in faith, help, and bless other people, and prepare ourselves as God leads us to receive the blessings we are waiting for. In addition, according to James 5:9, we don’t complain. We simply trust God, knowing that He will do what He needs to do when the time is right.
Prayer of the Day: Help me, Lord, to wait patiently for You, doing what I know to do as I trust You to move in Your perfect timing.
