My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. James 1:2,3
The doctor, as doctors often do, was running behind in his appointments, and the waiting room was starting to fill up. As I waited with the other patients for my name to be called, I found it interesting to observe the level of patience among those of us waiting. A man in his late 20s was sitting in a far corner, deeply involved with writing something in his laptop computer, oblivious to all around him. A young woman about the same age sat on the edge of her chair, grasping her purse with both hands, her eyes dashing back and forth with every move of the receptionist and nurses, and with a fearful expression on her brow. Beside her sat an elderly lady who also looked anxious, her left toe tapping impatiently as she watched the nurses come and go. A mother with her two small children bounced one of them on her knee, sighing disappointedly whenever one of the nurses came or went without calling her. Two more women had found something in common, and were chatting pleasantly as they relaxed in their chairs. Near them sat a middle aged man who smiled and whose eyelids grew heavy as he idly watched the children playing with the toys in the corner. That waiting room was very representative of the people all around us. What makes people so different in their levels of patience?
Children have no patience. An infant’s cry to be fed is one of the most non-negotiable demands on the planet. Little children who want a candy or a toy don’t know the meaning of ‘not yet’ or ‘wait’; anything other than a ‘yes’ is a ‘no’. As children grow into their teens, their impatience is directed in ever more directions and in ever more important matters. They are like the man who prayed, ‘Lord, give me patience, and send it right now!’ By the time we get into our adult years, some of us have learned through experience that patience is a valuable trait, although sometimes the experience that teaches us can be rather painful. As Christians, God would have us to be patient. And He has a learning program to develop patience in us: the trial, or testing, of our faith. If we can pass the test, we will have godly patience.
Faith, as we all know, is simply believing God. If God has made us promises, He will keep those promises. If we are anxious about whether or when we will receive those promises, we are not acting in faith. As experiences come and go, we learn to accept God’s will and God’s timing. We develop patience, at least, that is the hope. That is why God allows the trials and tests to come along; He wants us to display the patience that proves we are truly trusting in Him. Christians who lack patience are Christians who are still trusting in themselves. And frustrated Christians are Christians who have found that trusting in themselves leads to disappointment and discouragement.
Our text tells us that the trials we encounter are not to be feared. We can actually rejoice over them because God is giving us a new lesson in faith that leads to patience. -Jim MacIntosh