To be a Christian is to daily walk the road of dependence and expectation. James reminds us of that in our stud today. The men and women to whom he is writing knew the sting of persecution, the uncertainty of what was just ahead. Because of that, James wants them to remember that the Lord upon whom they are dependent for hope will, indeed, return. And though they may not feel it or see it or understand the mind of the Lord, they are called to remain steadfast with the expectation that the Lord will come, and when he comes, he will vindicate and redeem them.

READ James 5:7-12

Farmers are a patient people. They must be. They can’t make the seasons turn, or the rain come, or the crops grow according to their schedule. So they wait, not wringing their hands with anxiety but with active anticipation. There are innumerable challenges in this life. We face uncertainty and, for some, genuine persecution. We are dependent for everything — strength, hope, purpose, provision — on a God who is immeasurably outside of our control. And yet that dependence must not drive us to hand-wringing anxiety, but the confidence that comes as we recount the truth that this God in whom we trust has promised that He is coming again, that he delights to meet the needs of his children, that He is a restorer of the broken, a lifter of the weary, a healer for the wounded. Our God is compassionate and merciful, and in these verses, we are called to trust him.