James 5:10-12
“Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.”
James 5:10-12 NIV
Usually, suffering comes into our lives when we least expect it. Here in these verses James coaches us to remember the good examples of patient suffering and perseverance from the past. He doesn’t bother with mythological examples, since nothing is to be gained by comparing oneself to a fiction.
Instead, he calls up the great prophets of the Old Testament, men like Daniel, who faced lions with quiet confidence. There was also Jeremiah, who was lowered down into a cistern filled with mud, who was beaten and locked in a prison and who was chained up and nearly sent away with the captives who were bound for Babylon.
Before them, there was Moses, who was despised by Pharaoh, despised by his own people and even challenged by his brother and sister when he remarried after his wife died. God was with them all. God blessed each one of them and helped them to stand up to the troubles that fell on them.
James also brings up Job, the only New Testament author to do so. Job suffered horrible troubles. It was tragic that such a righteous man lost all of his material possessions in a short time, all his oxen and donkeys, all his servants, all his sheep, and all his camels. It is all the more horrifying that this man lost his children on the same day.
After this, he was struck with a terrible disease. And still more than all of these, Job’s wife either lost her faith or came very close to it. This last was perhaps the hardest trial of all. To disagree with one’s husband or wife about your faith is an agony that must be the closest that anyone could come in this lifetime to the agony of hell. It is a torment that doesn’t last a moment, an hour, or a year, but a lifetime.
Better to be alone and painfully lonely than live with a spouse who rejects your faith and argues about it constantly. Yet Job did not fall into sin with the way he responded to his troubles. Blessed, truly blessed, is the man who can face trials in his life without falling into sin, whether grumbling, accusing, despairing, or any of the other temptations that come snapping at his heels.
A man in trouble is the favorite target of Satan. What better time to tempt a man into terrible sins than when his guard is down, his heart is on his sleeve, and his friends don’t know what to say? “All my intimate friends detest me; those I love have turned against me”, “my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams.” Satan is never your friend. He will only kick you when you are down, and he will never ever give you a break.
But with Daniel, Jeremiah, Moses and Job, we see that the Lord had a purpose in mind with the afflictions he permitted them to suffer. In each case, they were tested. In each case, they persevered. Their faith was strengthened even though people around them slipped and fell, doubting God and wondering about God’s purpose or even about God’s very existence.
Not that any of them was perfect or even came close to perfection. Buddhists, Hindus, Methodists and others teach that kind of perfection, but the Bible does not. The Scriptures at every point encourage us to strive toward godliness in our lives and to grow in our faith.
We are burdened by our sinful flesh, and that won’t change in this life. We pray that the Holy Spirit will work in us and help us to be patient when we suffer. We ask God to hold us firmly in the faith and to help us, and to keep reminding us of our place in his kingdom through the merits of Jesus Christ alone.
The Lord “is so very compassionate and merciful,” and we see this in the way he treated the suffering believers in ancient times. Job’s possessions were doubled, and the number of Job’s children doubled after his sufferings were at an end.
Daniel received a special blessing and rest from God. After Jeremiah was kidnapped and forced to live in a place forbidden by God, the Lord blessed him and continued to reveal His Word to him. Moses was permitted to see the Promised Land, and he was buried by God himself when he died.
When you are assaulted by troubles, things that make you afraid, or tempted, or sad, turn as quickly as you can to God for help. Explain what you are going through even though he already knows. Putting your problems into words as you pray will help you to understand them even better than you think you do.
He is listening; he will help. “I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me” (Psalm 118:13). He says: “I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear. I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13)!!!
Father, thank You for this day and the many lessons that we can learn from Your Word. Let Your abundant blessings fall on my friend and family today. Thank You for the example of Job and other men and women of faith who patiently endured in times of deep trouble. Lord, may we be one that stands firm in our faith and endures to the end in these evil times for Your praise and glory. You are a God of compassion and mercy Whose love endures from one generation to another. Lord use us to be the blessing someone needs today. Be a blessing.
Father we love You. Amen !
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