“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door! For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.” (James 5:7­–11 NLT)

Being patient is a lost art. Once upon a time, we used to get music on something called an album. We would wait for the album to arrive in our favorite record store. When we got it home, we would lay it on what was called a turntable. We would put a needle into the grooves of the album and listen to it while we pored over the lyrics that were printed inside the album cover. Getting and listening to music was an experience that required some patience.

Then new technology came along in the form of the eight-track machine. You could have one in your car and listen to music on the go. Next came cassette players and then compact disc players. Listening to music became more convenient and required less patience.

Today you can just download everything and get it immediately. You don’t even have to get a whole album. You can get just the song you actually like. And that’s the way most things work today. If you want to get something, you don’t have to go to the store and search for it. You can use Amazon Prime and get same-day delivery. You don’t have to go out to get your food; you just call Uber Eats. Everything comes quickly. So when we read James’ instruction to “be patient,” it’s almost an alien concept.

But it’s the way God wants us to approach the reality of Jesus’ return.

That can be a challenge sometimes. Living in this world as believers can be difficult. We get tired and frustrated as we see our culture trending in ways that defy God’s will. So we look to the Lord’s return with anticipation, because it means our work here will be done and our eternal reward will begin.

James encourages us to maintain our eager anticipation—like a farmer eagerly anticipates rain or a kid eagerly anticipates Christmas morning. But more importantly, he encourages us to remember that God’s timetable is perfect. The longer Christ’s return is delayed, the more opportunities unbelievers will have to hear His Good News and give their lives to Him. That’s good news for us, too, especially if we have family members or other loved ones who haven’t yet accepted Christ as Savior. Our patient work in their lives must continue while we eagerly anticipate the Lord’s return.

Reflection Question: When it comes to the Lord’s return, how can you keep a healthy balance between eagerly anticipating it and waiting patiently for it?

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