I'm Running Into Patience

(James 5:7-12)

I’m Running Into Patience

The title of this blog doesn’t make sense, so much that it actually does. If I took a survey and asked folks how many of them run out of patience with a thing I wouldn’t be surprised if a majority of them would jump up and down, screamin’ and hollerin’, shoutin’ “THAT’S ME!!” I also have no doubt that would include many believers as well…not the best tell for what our faith is supposed to do. I’m reminded that patience is something very specific in the Bible that we should all desire to have in our lives:

A fruit of the Spirit

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, lacking this means that we probably aren’t bearing the fruit that Christ calls us to. And yes, there’s grace and there’s mercy but now more than ever we truly need to have an urgency about what it means to bear all spiritual fruit in our lives with patience being part of that fruit. No more running out of it. We need to figure out what it means to “run into patience.”

(James 5:7–12)

Patience as the Profitable Pathway to Fruitfulness

James begins with an image that every listener in his day would have understood: the farmer waiting for the rains. Crops didn’t grow overnight, and no amount of striving could hurry the process. Farmers had to wait on the weather, trusting God to bring the rain in due season. In the same way, our lives of faith demand patience. But patience is not passive—it’s trust in action. It’s holding on in the waiting, not because the struggle is easy but because the harvest is worth it.

Because patience is PROFITABLE. In verse seven, James illustrates how farmers “eagerly look for the VALUABLE harvest…” This reminds me of Jesus’ parables of the field/pearls in Matt. 13. “First, he said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.” (Matt. 13:44).
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (13:45–46).

These parables are significant because they highlight something that we all need to understanding: the cost of discipleship. Count the cost. Do we genuinely think anyone who found treasure in a field or a business owner finding priceless, precious pearls was sweating over the cost? Absolutely not! The only thing they sweatin’ if anything is whether they would “get it” and nothing else matters. This is the soul of the disciple. When we realize just how priceless He is in our lives, and then get overwhelmed with knowing that He thinks that we are far more priceless than He, there’s no way we wouldn’t sacrifice anything that He would ask of us: especially knowing that He believed us so worth it first that He laid down His life for ours. Once we realize the value of what’s coming, the waiting no longer feels like wasted time. It feels like investment. Patience is profitable because it produces maturity and prepares us to fully receive what God has promised

People Help to Shape Our Patience

James doesn’t just point us upward—he points us outward. Impatience often shows itself in how we treat others. When we grumble, complain, or judge those around us, we reveal a heart unwilling to wait on God. Not to mention Jesus own words in Matt. 7 paint a picture of consequence for those who choose to do these things. Judge and you will be judged (Matt. 7:1-2), and of course do unto unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matt. 7:12). We often miss that this verse, the Golden Rule itself, is incomplete when we say this part. It is predicated with the understanding that this statement is the essence of all that is the Law and the Prophets. I wrote that right. All of the instruction given to us in the Old Testament is hinged on the understanding of this verse. I’ll leave that for you to wrestle with there.

Patience is cultivated in community, where we learn to bear with one another, forgive quickly, and extend grace even when it’s undeserved. Jesus Himself summarized the law with one command: Do to others what you would have them do to you. In a culture that prizes speed, efficiency, and instant gratification, practicing patience with people becomes a countercultural act of discipleship. There’s an African proverb that says “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” James reminds us that patience with others is not optional—it’s essential for a faith that truly works.

Patience in Suffering: The Prophets’ Example

To strengthen his point, James points us back to the prophets and to Job. These were men and women who endured incredible suffering yet remained steadfast in their faith. Their stories are not meant to discourage us but to inspire us. They remind us that patience isn’t just waiting for good things—it’s enduring when life feels unbearable. Job lost nearly everything, yet clung to God, and in the end, he saw the Lord’s compassion and mercy in ways he never imagined. Patience in suffering transforms us. It shifts our faith from merely believing in God to living with the faith of God—a bulletproof faith that endures because it rests on His unshakable character. We also see this the story of the Apostles who were arrested in Acts (5:12-42) as they rejoiced after being beaten as it confirmed their establishment among the ranks fo those who’ve been persecuted on behalf of the Faith and in the name of Jesus! Or Stephen (Acts 6:8-15, 7:1-60), as he called for the immediate forgiveness of those who stone him to death. That’s bulletproof faith if ever I’ve seen it. Just think. Anyone reading this believe that they would do the same thing if put in that situation? I’ll wait…yeah. I didn’t think so, myself included. This is why James tells us to take courage. The Judge is at the door, and His return is nearer than we think.

The Posture of Peace

Finally, James ties patience to integrity. He tells his readers to let their “yes” be yes and their “no” be no. Impatience makes us inconsistent—double-minded, wavering, tossed like waves on the sea. But patience grounds us in peace. It produces clarity, steadiness, and trustworthiness. People know they can depend on a person who has been shaped by patience, because their confidence rests in God and not in shifting circumstances. More than anything, James anchors our patience in the promise of Christ’s return. We don’t know when, but we do know He is coming!! Until then, patience is our daily practice, not as a burden but as a fruit of the Spirit that brings peace to our hearts and witness to our world.

— Jordan Brown

Pastor (Ministries and Outreach) [OV]Church

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