James 5:7-10 (NRSV)
Read James 5:7-10 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. Verse 8You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Verse 9Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! Verse 10As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Devotion
In the late winter several years ago, my husband, impatient with the cold and desiring to garden, began growing seedlings under UV lights in our basement. Hidden from view and unbeknownst to others, he doted on those plants with scientific precision, trimming and watering those infant greens with tender care.
While restless for the moment he could bring those small vines out into the spring warmth, he knew they needed to first prepare for the outside elements—water, light, and wind. He’d take a small fan, and with alarming speed its blades would beat those tiny leaves with air, strengthening the stems of the seedlings in preparation for the season’s storms.
When those small vegetables were finally received in the soil, they were ready in the way only a well-cared for plant could be, their roots gripping powerfully to the earth and their leaves reaching high to the sun.
Prayer
Dear God, as we anxiously wait for the reminder of the coming of your Son and our Savior Jesus Christ, tend to us with loving hands and root our hearts against the buffeting winds that beat against our lives and those we love. In your compassion and mercy we pray, Amen.