Lesson 18: Faith’s true patience
James 5:7-12 
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

 In the last lesson we read about wanting things of this world so we can control our own lives, and our verses today begin with God’s encouragement to us to be patient. We live in a fast-paced world where we often expect immediate meeting of our needs. We want God’s blessings now! We want His answers to our prayers immediately. We want comfort rather than distress. But God wants us to be patient.

 In Verse 8, we read that God wants us to “establish [our] hearts.” In Jeremiah 29 we read how God encouraged the Jews who had been taken captive into Babylon to establish lives in that new country. God’s promise to them was that their exile would not be forever, and many people had determined to just put their lives on hold until they could return home. God said no, they were to build lives where they were. They were to pray for this country which had stolen their lives.


 God also calls us exiles in a foreign land (1 Peter 2:11). He wants us to establish our hearts now. This is not our permanent home, we are an ambassador for our “home country” in this temporary place (2 Corinthians 5:20). Establishing our hearts means we grow stronger in our relationship with Him while we are here. We are building our faith in Him as if we are building a house (see Jesus’ story in Matthew 7:24-27).

 This world is not our final home. It is a place where suffering and trial can teach us skills of faith. It is a place of disappointment, pain, hardship, and death (John 16:33). We must not allow any of these things to frighten us away from our goal, however. I heard a pastor say that God is using storms to grow us through what He has already prepared for us (Genesis 50:20). Trust Him with and in every circumstance of your life! His plan for you is not for evil, but for good (Jeremiah 29:11).

Memorize: Genesis 50:20 - As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.