Who loves to wait? I know my hand would not go up in a room where that question was asked.  As a fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23), Godly patience is something that we need his help in obtaining. It is HIS fruit being produced in us. It does not come naturally, certainly not from our flesh. Our flesh screams that we want what we want, and we want it now.  

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We want fast food, fast service, fast Internet. We pay extra for the fast pass, we want to get rich quickly, we want to see results from our diet or new workout regimen, literally the same day we begin them. What part do you hate the most about going to the doctor? Let me guess…the waiting?  

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But what about things that are worth waiting for? Something that builds anticipation and creates a longing for it to come to pass. A birthday. Christmas. Your wedding day. The birth of your child. Some things are almost sweeter because of the wait.    

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Patience can still be a struggle with all those things. Just ask a mom who is 8-months-pregnant, but the knowledge that they are worth waiting for makes an enormous difference. It turns the angst, frustration, and discouragement that normally come with waiting into a beautiful excitement that builds anticipation. Our Scripture today compares it to a farmer waiting for his crops. Farming is not a “set it and forget it” process. A farmer inspects things as they come up, prays for rain, looks forward to the fruit to come. They know it can’t be rushed and is often out of their control, but it is worth the wait.  

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It is no secret that life can be hard at times. Our desire to make it easier almost always has the opposite effect. If you read the first six verses of James 5, the verses that lead right up to today's verses, you will see it often titled something like “A Warning to the Rich.” However, if you read those, you will see that it could be (and is) a warning to all of us. Paraphrased: You seek after things that don’t last. You keep wanting more. You do things selfishly, putting yourself first. You have supported injustice when it served you.  

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Most of us are quick to refute that and say, “Not me.” I ask that you sit with that for a while. Read those verses over a few times. Ask God to show you how you might be in there. This is important, because Scripture, in its original form, didn’t have the handy headings we have today. Those sections, such as “Warning to the Rich” or “Patience in Suffering,” were added to help us, but sometimes they keep us from seeing how Scripture flows together. This is not two different sections. You have to sit with verses 1-6 before you can move into verses 7 and 8.  

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Patience, with hope, is often the answer to our troubles and frustrations. You may have seen the saying, “Your track record for surviving bad days is 100%.” That is easy to see and say when you are looking back, but almost impossible in the midst of the waiting. That is why patience is God’s fruit; his work in us and for us.  

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A birthday, Christmas, a wedding, even the birth of your child, while all being wonderful and amazing things worth waiting for, all fail in comparison to the beauty and wonder of Heaven.

Our Scripture today tells us that there is a point to the patience. “You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” We aren’t just patiently waiting around for something to happen; we are patiently waiting for THE THING to happen.  

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“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial…” (James 1:12 NIV). “Let us not become weary of doing good…” (Galatians 6:9 NIV). “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength…” (Isaiah 40:31 ESV). “Be still before the Lord and patiently wait for him…” (Psalm 37:7 ESV). “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12 NIV). “For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18 ESV).

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Over and over, we are reminded to be patient. That God is worth waiting for. His patience that he produces in us is truly a gift. Like an amazing father, he does not ask us to do things that he himself is not willing to do.  2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”  

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It's almost as if He knows that you are worth waiting for!