Read James 5:12-20
When I first looked at the final verses of James, I read a commentator who pointed out that James’s final words are, “Don’t swear. Instead, pray. Keep bringing each other back to Truth.” Reading that discouraged me. He might as well have said, “Potato salad. Emeralds. Ford Mustangs”, those three things seem as cohesive as James’s advice.
So, I put my Bible study stuff away, did something else, and came back to the list.
Do not swear.
Pray instead.
Keep bringing each other back to Truth.
And it hit me. He’s talking to people who are suffering, people who are being ostracized and bankrupted because of what they believe. What James is giving them is practical advice for sufferers.
When times get tough, our natural response is to throw up our hands in frustration. We speak out of that frustration, “I swear, if you interrupt me one more time….” “God help me if I have to come down there.” “Oh @#$%!” When we swear, we make ourselves bigger than God by treating His name carelessly, irreverently. Remember, all along, James has been talking to us about humility.
The irony is that, God’s name is what we should be calling when we’re struggling, but not in a potty-mouth tirade. What James tells his readers (and us) is that, when things are bad, pray. When your circumstances are hard, submit yourself to God. And don’t just submit, but expect Him to act and watch for things to change.
There have been times of suffering in my life when I could not stop praying. Maybe no one else would listen to me, or maybe I was just so attuned to my need for deliverance, but I spoke to God throughout my bad season. There have been other tough seasons, however, to which I’ve responded with complete prayerless-ness (my present school year, for instance). Times when I am so overwhelmed and defeated, I can’t articulate a prayer. Thankfully, James tells us we don’t have to pray alone. It is good to share our burdens and to allow others to help carry them.
The other good thing about sharing our sorrows with each other is that it deepens our relationships. As we become closer to other believers, and they see us suffering, they can speak Truth into our lives. We know them, we trust them, and they have “earned the right to be heard.” This is the accountability James steers his readers to as the letter ends.
When a friend is suffering, we can remind them of what is true: You are persecuted, but not abandoned. You are in the hands of a loving God.
When a friend is in bondage to sin, we can help turn them back to what is true: Are you honoring God with this choice? Is this behavior having a positive effect on those around you?
What stands out to me in this conclusion is that our Christian life, though challenging, is not meant to be lived alone. Difficult, frustrating things are going to happen. When they do, we need people to pray with us. When our sin is leading us astray, we need people to call us on it and to steer us back to the Truth.
People just like us.
1. It’s a bit more involved than our usual questions, but I think there’s great value in reading some of Elijah’s account (1 Kings 17-19). In what ways was he just like us? How can that be an encouragement to us?
2. What are some true things you could say to encourage a suffering friend?
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Patience James 5:7-12
In this passage James used three different examples for patience in suffering.
The agricultural theme has been cooking throughout the book of James. In 1:18 James referred to believers as the "first fruits". In 1:21 he tells us to "humbly accept the word planted in us" and in 3:18 we learned that Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. Given these references it seems fitting that the first example James should use when talking about patience in suffering is that of a farmer.
5:7 See how the farmer waits for the land to yield it's crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.
What exactly is James talking about? Is it the suffering the church was going though due to persecution or perhaps it was something else. What if what he was saying was actually the suffering that came from waiting for the harvest of righteousness in their lives. Although they had been implanted with the Word it was still in the process of growing.
So many of our daily struggles come from that "not yet" part of our salvation. We are saved but we are also in the process of being saved. We must trust that the Lord will be faithful to complete it. This takes patience, patience like that of a farmer who plants his seed, cares for his seed and trusts that the rain will come and a great harvest will be the result.
The second example the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
The prophets have always astounded me. They preached the word of the Lord, the people ignored them and the people were judged anyway. I am sure that many of them wondered at times what the point even was. But most of the prophets did not just talk about Judgment all the time they also talked about a day of mercy. They talked about the gift of God that would take away the sins of the world. Although none of them got to see Jesus they spoke about him constantly. And they believed that when it was time God would bring the harvest. They had patience through their suffering caused by others sins.
The third example was Job. Job suffered not because of his sin or really others sins but ultimately because of a strange contest between God and the devil for his heart. James references Job and then simply says, " you have seen what the Lord has brought about". In the end the patience of Job to wait for the faithfulness of God paid off. He saw the Lord faithfully grow back all that was taken from him because "the Lord is full of compassion and mercy".
Do the three examples help you understand the suffering in your life better?
Why do we struggle with patience when we know the Gospel?
How can we practice patience in our lives?
The agricultural theme has been cooking throughout the book of James. In 1:18 James referred to believers as the "first fruits". In 1:21 he tells us to "humbly accept the word planted in us" and in 3:18 we learned that Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. Given these references it seems fitting that the first example James should use when talking about patience in suffering is that of a farmer.
5:7 See how the farmer waits for the land to yield it's crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.
What exactly is James talking about? Is it the suffering the church was going though due to persecution or perhaps it was something else. What if what he was saying was actually the suffering that came from waiting for the harvest of righteousness in their lives. Although they had been implanted with the Word it was still in the process of growing.
So many of our daily struggles come from that "not yet" part of our salvation. We are saved but we are also in the process of being saved. We must trust that the Lord will be faithful to complete it. This takes patience, patience like that of a farmer who plants his seed, cares for his seed and trusts that the rain will come and a great harvest will be the result.
The second example the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
The prophets have always astounded me. They preached the word of the Lord, the people ignored them and the people were judged anyway. I am sure that many of them wondered at times what the point even was. But most of the prophets did not just talk about Judgment all the time they also talked about a day of mercy. They talked about the gift of God that would take away the sins of the world. Although none of them got to see Jesus they spoke about him constantly. And they believed that when it was time God would bring the harvest. They had patience through their suffering caused by others sins.
The third example was Job. Job suffered not because of his sin or really others sins but ultimately because of a strange contest between God and the devil for his heart. James references Job and then simply says, " you have seen what the Lord has brought about". In the end the patience of Job to wait for the faithfulness of God paid off. He saw the Lord faithfully grow back all that was taken from him because "the Lord is full of compassion and mercy".
Do the three examples help you understand the suffering in your life better?
Why do we struggle with patience when we know the Gospel?
How can we practice patience in our lives?
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