"Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." - James 5:10-11
Patience is calm determination to do the will of God regardless of the situation. Some will be surprised to learn that patience does not exclude complaint. The most patient characters in the Bible complained - but they did not depart from the commandments of God. Hannah, righteous mother of the great prophet Samuel, pleaded, "Out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken." And what was God's response? He heard her complaint, and gave her a son. Job, the epitome of patience, cried, "I will not refrain my mouth. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul." And the psalmist wrote, "Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not Thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me. I mourn in my complaint and make a noise."
Those who habitually complain are condemned in the Scriptures as "complainers" (Jude 16); yet, those who complain to God in times of suffering are not numbered in that group. God's children are welcome to come to Him with their burdens. "Call upon Me in the day of trouble", He said, "I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Asaph responded to God's invitation: "In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. I remembered God, and was troubled. I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed."
No, my dear friend, complaining to God is not an indication of impatience. In fact, it is the right thing to do when trouble comes, for it demonstrates faith that God listens, cares, and is able to deliver. King David was not ashamed to complain to the Lord. "I will cry unto God most high," David declared, "unto God Who performeth all things for me. . . . Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge until these calamities be overpast." We, too, may boldly come before the throne of His mercy with our heart's cry. He will not despise us, for he knows that we are frail and needy creatures.
Some consider themselves impatient because wickedness irritates them; but Abraham's nephew, Lot, was daily irritated with the filthy conduct of the Sodomites (2Pet.2:8), and Lot was a righteous man. God Himself is "angry with the wicked every day" (Ps.7:11), yet, He is "the God of patience" (Rom.15:5). Hatred of sin is not impatience. Impatience is shown when one resorts to evil in order to accomplish a goal or to escape some discomfort, for it shows that one has lost faith that doing the will of God is sufficient. No matter how much Job suffered, for example, he was determined to obey the commandments of God. "My foot hath held His steps," he said, "His way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips." (Job 23:11-12). This was the patience of Job.
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you," wrote Peter, "as though some strange thing happened to you" (1Pet.4:12). God tries the faith of us all, without exception. Woe to those who depart from God's ways in order to escape their trial! Blessed are they who keep themselves pure when the heat of trials grows hot. In their patience they possess their souls. We should never doubt God's love toward us, even "if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations" (1Pet.1:6). No, my friend, "Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked by Him. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Heb.12:5-6). A fiery trial may take the form of persecution for the faith; it may also come through an increase in earthly goods, which is the fiercest trial of all.
It is easy to be generous when one has the riches to play the part. But will that generosity wither in the hot sun of financial need? Or will humility be replaced with pride, if one increases in earthly wealth and prestige? Will a kindly disposition vanish, if one is falsely accused? What is it that this world has to offer that can cause you to surrender your patience in doing the will of God? God tries our hearts, that we may know ourselves; but we should always remember, He never tempts us to do evil. In our trials, God tempts us to do good. As James says, (1:13-14), "Let no man say when he is tempted [to do evil], `I am tempted by God', for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man [with evil]. But every man is tempted [with evil] when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed."
The church is constantly reminded that "Something good is going to happen to you!", and that saying is true. But it is not the whole truth, for it is also true that something bad is going to happen to you. Here on this earth, both good and bad things happen to everybody. That is not even an issue. The issue is, are either the pleasant things or unpleasant things of this world able to lure you away from keeping the commandments of God?
Through covetousness and lust, many vainly teach that faith is tried only when difficulties come. Not only is that wrong, but that kind of thinking also blinds one to the fact that prosperity, not adversity, is the hardest trial. In Jesus's parable of the Sower and the Seed, he taught us that those who overcome adversity, afterwards may themselves be overcome by prosperity (Mt.13:1-9,18-23). Failing to see earthly pleasures as a trial, some actually believe that prosperity is a mark of righteousness! Consequently, prosperity has become a goal which these children of God pursue! There is nothing holy about either prosperity or poverty. Both are ordinary earthly conditions which believers must overcome in order to meet God in peace. The issue is not whether faith in Christ guarantees the believer a steady income. The issue is, will we maintain God's standard of holiness regardless of the state of our finances, or anything else for that matter. This is the only eternally important question.
The greatest figures in the Bible are those who overcame fear and obeyed God when they were poor, then overcame pride and obeyed God when they were wealthy. For example, whether in slavery, in prison, or on the throne of Egypt, Joseph was determined to please God. And Moses, whether in Pharaoh's palace or a fugitive from Pharaoh's wrath, strove to please God. David loved God and clung to His commandments when he was a fugitive, hiding in caves from mad King Saul; and he loved God and kept His commandments when he himself sat on Israel's throne. At times, Jesus had multitudes singing his praises, even wanting him to be king. At other times, he was despised and beaten. But whether praised or cursed, his heart was set on behaving as God said to behave, trusting God to be his final judge.
When one loses patience, he finds himself fighting spiritual battles with carnal weapons. We sometimes grow weary of fighting spiritual wickedness with the weapons which really avail: prayer, faith, love, and truth. In such a state, men often resort to political action, social programs, or even violence. But, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal", wrote Paul. Amen! Our hope is in Christ, in his Spirit, and in the hands of the righteous, the weapons of faith are "mighty, to the pulling down of strongholds." May God give us the patience to trust in the weapons of the holy Ghost, the only weapons which can forward the cause of Christ.
Through the power of the Spirit, Jesus enables us to continue in the love of God through every circumstance. The lowly Lamb of God, as we know, endured all manner of temptations while on this earth, yet without sin. All that people could do for him and against him, they did, from demanding that he be their king (Jn.6:15) to crucifying him. Still, he patiently kept his soul from sin. His testimony is captured in this Scripture from the Bible's longest chapter, "Many are my persecutors and mine enemies, yet do I not decline from thy testimonies." Listen to the quiet determination of the Savior, as the Spirit spoke through the prophet of old of his patience, "The proud have had me greatly in derision, yet have I not declined from Thy law. . . . The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Thy precepts with my whole heart. . . . Let the proud be ashamed, for they dealt perversely with me without a cause, but I will meditate in Thy precepts. . . . They had almost consumed me upon earth, but I forsook not Thy precepts. . . . The wicked have waited for me to destroy me, but I will consider Thy testimonies. . . . Princes also did sit and speak against me, but thy servant did meditate in Thy statutes."
This is patience: unrelenting obedience to God's will. It is not, as many seem to think, a stoic denial of feelings. There are very few, if any, who have not thought and at some time said, "What's the use of doing right? It isn't doing any good." Let's not be hasty, my friend. You may be accomplishing more than you think. Don't grow weary in well doing. If it is right, you must do it, regardless of the cost or opposition. The crown of life is not given to all who begin the race, but to those who successfully complete it. Jesus emphasized the need for patience in many ways, but in no way did he more clearly do so than when he said, "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Mt.24: 13). My dear friend, hold on to your patience and keep doing what is right. The wages of sin is still death.
An appreciable quantity of this enduring power comes by possessing the right attitude. The Preacher tells us (Eccl.7:8), "The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." This, of course, we all know. What we all do not know, however, is that the one who is proud in spirit does not, and cannot, have patience. Patience and pride are never found residing in the same temple. They are antonymous in every sense of the word. Often in the Scriptures, the proud are described as wealthy, satisfied, and popular. For example, Malachi lamented that "We call the proud happy. Yea, they that work wickedness are set up". But there is one thing consistently absent from the life of every proud person, and that is patience. Watch them! See how quickly they become angry and lose their self-control, often causing very unpleasant situations for others!
A simple truth, yet difficult to grasp, is this: external circumstances do not hamper patience. Circumstances merely reveal the quality of our patience. To the mind of faith, external pressures are seen as opportunities to exercise and increase patience, not as threats to it.
Faith generates patience, for "faith is the substance of things hoped for". Faith "waits patiently for the coming of the Lord." Faith rejoices not only "in hope of the glory of God", but also "in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience". Faith considers the end to be of greater importance than the beginning, and never loses sight of "the recompense of the reward." By faith, Noah patiently built the ark. By faith, Abraham went out into the unknown, and "after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. . . . By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. . . ." Others, by faith, "were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection." Faith in God produces the patience required to overcome anything, and overcome with joy! Abraham would have waited another twenty five years for a son, if God had willed it. Joseph could have spent another two years in prison, and still would have been found doing the will of God. If it were possible for Jesus to have been treated more unjustly than he was, he could have borne it, and still prayed, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."
None of the difficult circumstances faced by the upright exhausted their patience. Indeed, it worked in the opposite direction. The greater the suffering, the more brightly their faith shined. They all could have written the Scripture which Paul wrote to the church, for they knew the power of the truth in Paul's exhortation, "Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not."
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