In James 5.7-11, James references the purpose of the Lord in the case of Job. We see from Job 42.10 and 12 that the purpose was to bless and to restore. The purpose was to take what was broken, and to restore it, and is that not a condensed version of the book of James?
Jesus wants to take what is broken and restore it, to restore this broken world to Eden; God, creation, and man living harmoniously and peacefully and lovingly together. James encourages us to have patience whilst we wait for this (James 5.7-9).
The question for you and for me then is are we willing to wait for this?
Are we willing to look at the examples of the prophets?
To see God’s plans and purposes worked out through them and have patience?
Charles Simeon, the British preacher of yesteryear we mentioned earlier said this,
So the Christian must wait upon his God: many things he will meet with to try his faith and patience: but he must commit them all the Lord, not doubting but that God will him “strength according to his day”, and cause “all events to work together for his good.
Again then, as this week and every week, it would be so easy to hyper-moralise James and say look, you are a bad person because you are not patient, be more patient. But that’s not helpful for anyone, is it, and it totally leaves Jesus out of the picture. Sure, we’ve referenced Him, we know He is in this text, but, with hyper-moralising it is He the hero of this text? No, He’s not, is He.
So How does He personify and exemplify the patience and purpose we have talked about today?
David Mathis wrote this,
How many times have we rebelled? How often have we misrepresented him? How frequently have we presumed upon his forgiveness? How much have we been impatient with him — only to find out how gently and kindly he handled us in return?
Think about it this way; if Jesus was not patient with you, if He did not personify and exemplify the life of patience and living for God’s purpose to bless and restore, we would all have perished.
Let us go into today full of awe for the patience, the purpose, and the person of Jesus.
James Travis 