Focus

Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.

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Read

James 5:7-10 (NRSV)

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.

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Reflect

You’ve probably heard the joke: “God, please give me patience… right now!” Patience is often difficult. Some traffic lights in my neighborhood are still on timers rather than sensors, which often means idling at a red light while no other cars are even in sight. It also means that impatient drivers often run these lights, creating a potential for accidents.

Remember dial-up modems? Remember having to go to the video store to rent a movie? Such things seem like the Stone Age now. Because of our impatience, we have invented so many ways to get what we want… right now! There are still plenty of things in life that we can’t get exactly when we want them; there are still times we have to be patient. But because we are so accustomed to immediate gratification, it seems that we’re more impatient in the areas we can’t rush.

From a spiritual perspective, it’s good that we sometimes have to wait. In such times we are reminded that not everything in life bows to our desires. God is one of those things. God does not act according to our schedule. Embracing this truth can relieve a lot of stress and draw you closer to God.

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Pray

God, please give me the discipline to be more patient with you, with myself, and with others. Give me the faith to use times of uncomfortable waiting to discern ways to draw closer to you. Amen.

Go with God.