Patience in Suffering
No one has to convince us that suffering is hard. If you’ve lived any amount of time in this broken world you know what it means to suffer. No doubt there are different degrees of suffering, but suffering is universal. Nobody escapes it. Nobody grows out of it. Nobody can buy their way out of it or plan their way out of it. So it’s very important for us to understand how to respond to suffering.
For example, how are we to live when we find ourselves in unjust circumstances? Perhaps you work with mostly unbelievers who don’t respect your beliefs and ridicule your faith. Maybe you are facing oppression of some sort from those who have more authority or money than you have. Or perhaps you face a different kind of suffering—a strained relationship, difficult marriage, prodigal child, life-threatening diagnosis, rebellious teenager, infertility, or financial hardship. Regardless of what kind of suffering we face, we all need to know how to endure. Thankfully, the Bible is not silent when it comes to suffering.
In the book of James we learn how to wisely respond to suffering. “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord” (Jas. 5:7). Likewise, the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us that “we can be patient when things go against us” because “all creatures are so completely in God’s hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved” (A. 28).
To illustrate his exhortation James uses imagery drawn from agriculture. “See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains” (Jas. 5:7).
Depending on where you live, you may not see a farmer everyday, but for James’s readers this would have been a familiar scene. The farmer was required to do the hard work of sowing his field, but he was utterly dependent upon the Lord to send the rain to water his crops so they would grow. It took a great deal of faith and patience to wait for those rains, yet the farmer knew that the result would be “the precious fruit of the earth” (v. 7).
Likewise, James’s readers had to patiently wait for the Lord’s return, “You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (Jas. 5:9). This would require much faith, yet they needed to remember that the Lord’s coming is as certain as the crops they saw around them. Not only were they to be patient by accepting God’s timing, they were also to establish their hearts by anticipating the Lord’s return.
Seasons of waiting are hard, especially when we’re striving to patiently endure suffering. Often we’re tempted to wander from faithfulness, especially with regard to how we speak. Earlier James had warned them that “no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (Jas. 3:8). It’s no surprise, then, that James warns his readers, “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door” (5:9). Christ the Judge is coming. Therefore, God’s people should not be found grumbling. We only have to recall Israel’s history in the wilderness to understand grumbling is a serious sin.
Not only does James illustrate his point in these verses with the farmer, he also alludes to the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord (Jas. 5:10). Although the majority of people refused to repent and remained in idolatry and immorality, these prophets continued to faithfully proclaim God’s word. It took great courage for them to continue prophesying in the midst of oppression, yet they were patient in suffering and ultimately received the Lord’s blessing.
Significantly, James also mentions “the steadfastness of Job” (Jas. 5:11). In the midst of tragedy and suffering in his life, Job remained committed to the Lord. He poured out his heart in honest emotion before God without renouncing his faith. The Lord was bringing His purposes to pass in Job’s life, purposes that no matter how painful at the time, proved “how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (v. 11). Understanding this is vitally important. If we are to be patient in suffering, we must recognize that the compassionate and merciful Lord is bringing His purposes to pass through it. Think of the difference it would make if we actually believed this! When we suffer we don’t suffer alone. The compassionate and merciful Lord is with us. And He is bringing His purposes to pass in the very form of suffering from which we want to be delivered. We tend to think compassion and mercy would remove it. But God says otherwise, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).
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As we wait for Christ’s return we will face suffering. And in the midst of waiting and suffering we will be tempted to grumble against against God and against one another. But we are called instead to be patient and establish our hearts in the truth of God’s word and prayer. One day suffering will be no more and waiting will come to an end. But today we are called to suffer patiently with our eyes fixed on the Lord who is compassionate and merciful.
Sarah Ivill (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary) is a Reformed author, wife, homeschooling mom, Bible study teacher, and conference speaker who lives in Matthews, North Carolina, and is a member of Christ Covenant Church (PCA). To learn more, please visit www.sarahivill.com.
