Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering, affliction, and of patience. James 4:10
One of the largest sections of our local library is the one for biographies. Books large and small detail the lives of the famous and obscure. There are the records of the great men and women of history, those who have shaped our world by their actions and achievements. So too, are the books about the villains and tragic, whose deeds led to calamities and suffering. Sports heroes, cultural icons, religious leaders, and scientists all have their stories told for all to read. Why do we like to read biographies? Why do we, as Christians, enjoy the accounts of the great heroes of the faith, and the accounts of such godly men as Oliver Smith, Albert Ramsay, and L.K. McIlwaine, to name but a few? Biographies give us an example by which to measure our own lives, and help us to take today’s text into account.
Jeremiah being cast into the pit was but one example of the suffering of the Old Testament prophets that we read about. Hebrews 11 indicates that there were many of the faithful who paid a high price for their faithfulness in declaring God’s Word. Our text tells us that these saints are examples not only of their suffering and affliction, but also of their patience. Now, there is something we can definitely stand to learn.
Perhaps one reason why we have such little patience is our lack of suffering and affliction. Very little martyr’s blood is shed in our western world, despite the horrible carnage elsewhere. We appreciate the peace and freedom of our land, but we need to remember that God never promised this to us. With such soft circumstances and self sufficiency, we do not learn to lean on God for our needs and our hopes. So we never learn patience, at least not the kind of patience that James is speaking about, the quiet, meek submission to God’s will, the total surrender of all of life’s circumstances to him without interjecting our expectations and desires.
Read about the prophets, and you will learn why they were patient. Compare us with them, and you will see why we lack patience. -Jim MacIntosh