7Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Living the authentic life of faith requires endurance, that is, patience for the long haul. Dr. Howard Hendricks used to famously say, “The Christian life is not a sprint, but a long-distance marathon.” The sprinter will cover his short distance with a burst of speed, but then he is quickly finished. The marathoner runs with patience and keeps going at a steady pace for a much greater distance.
Jesus spoke of the fallacy of quick, impatient growth in a parable:
“. . . [the seed ] fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.” (Matt. 13:5–6)
A farmer evaluates his success not by what happens in a few days, but by the steady long-term growth until harvest time. For Christians, the harvest corresponds to the Lord’s return, which James says is near. The goal line is in sight, and we must continue patiently, living out our faith until that time arrives.
The challenge is that the new life in Christ experienced by a new believer can be thrilling. The fresh sense of repentance often leads to immediate changes. Prayer is exciting, with a keen awareness of the Lord’s presence and His answers to our requests. He may see miraculous things that he would have otherwise chalked up to coincidence or fate, prior to his coming to faith. But now he understands and interprets life through the lens of his faith and the reality of Jesus Christ in his life.
The thrill, however, if we are honest, is an emotion that fades with time. At the least, the feeling comes and goes. When life becomes an emotional roller-coaster, a believer can easily fall into working hard to recapture the emotion of faith, rather than faith itself. And then faith in Christ becomes a cyclical attempt at repeating the early sprint. Discouragement sets in as he seeks the outward façade of faith rather than a genuine faith that is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).
To all this, James counsels us to strengthen our hearts by keeping the Lord’s return squarely in front of our eyes. Our faith breeds patience and endurance to keep running the race of faith to the finish, with the active, live anticipation that He is waiting at the finish line for us.
Lord, I look forward to Your return; that motivates me to patiently endure.
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