Thoughts for the Day

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful....

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

And so we come to the end of this short Epistle. James is writing at a time when Christians believed that the Lord would return shortly. It was also a time when they were suffering persecution. James brings his whole argument to a close by reminding us of the benefits and blessings of those who faithfully endure in times of trial and who are "doers of the Word". We may not be called to suffer torture or execution, but we are called to endure trials - perhaps the death of a loved one; or our own serious illness; or the loss of financial security. James reminds us that endurance will be rewarded by God and he calls his readers to have patience. This is of course the theme of his whole work (James 1.2-4).

How do we endure trials, we might ask, when our brains go into flight or fight mode? James says this is through prayer. The Evangelist D.I. Moody once said "Prayer moves the Arm that moves the world." Just as Jesus found frequent times to pray, so should we. If nothing else we need to pray to endure the trial, and when we are happy our prayer can turn into a hymn of praise.

A week ago power outages occurred across the world and thousands lost their flights, their trains and indeed their hospital appointments. Sheer chaos ensued. My own family had suffered from something similar two weeks earlier when planes at Heathrow were cancelled and new flights could only be booked for three days later. These are minor inconveniences to that which many people have to endure, but the rule remains the same: patience and prayer will succeed, because we offer the situation to God for His best solution in His way and in His time.

Heavenly Father,
when we are stressed and worried,
and when everything seems to be going wrong,
give us patience to endure.
May we turn first to You for help
and then do all we can to help others
who are struggling.
When things calm down
and our spirits are lifted,
may we turn to You in praise
and thankfulness.
Amen.