praying effectively: Be Patient (James 5:1-12)

(James 5:1-12)  Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! 4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

Reminder:  "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will.  When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!

It is God's will:

- that believers are to be patient until the rapture (and for those becoming believers during the Tribulation until the second coming of Jesus), for God will bring about justice (5:7-8)

- that for our examples, we consider how the Lord blessed the obedient prophets who were patient through their suffering (5:10-11)

- that we strengthen our hearts (5:8)

- that we do not complain about each other (5:9)

- that we do not take God's name in vain, even if it is to emphasize your sincerity (5:12)

- that we just speak honestly all of the time (5:12)

Today's prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for not only giving us human examples in the Bible, but for being our ultimate example!  And thank You that You are just, and You will bring about justice!  Meanwhile, strengthen our hearts, so that we remain steadfast and obedient to Your word and to Your will.  And strengthen our hearts, so that we may be patient and courageous, no matter what we are going through.  All to Your glory, amen.