The Power Of Patience

James 1:2-4

My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

Don’t you just love it when people say something like, “Cheer up, you haven’t got it so bad” or “Don’t worry, you are learning from your mistakes”? This is not what you want to hear when having problems or going through trials. Yet, this is just about the way you feel when you first read this passage. I bet every time you have a trial or a test, you say, “Oh joy, another opportunity to show my patience.” I know what you mean, I feel the same way. None of us like to have our schedules interrupted or our plans altered. We don’t like to have to endure those times of tests and trials that are inevitable in this life. We are not geared to enjoy hassles or inconveniences, we like for all things to run smoothly.

You know, once we get over the inconvenience and the hassle, there really is a positive result that will be realized from these things if we will respond properly and as the verse says, will let patience do its perfect work. Literally that should be translated as its perfecting work. That is what patience does in our lives, it perfects us, matures us, grows us, and molds our character to be more like God’s.

When our faith is tested, we have to have patience. It takes that patience in the midst of the testing to get to the realization of that for which we are having faith. Let me illustrate it like this. If you are believing God for a new car, it takes time, prayer and patience before you see the manifestation of that new car. Now the verse goes on to say that patience, when allowed to grow, will cause you to be complete, entirely furnished, lacking nothing. Now I can get into that can’t you? If we look at the finished product of patience, we can truly count it all joy, because the completed work is worth the hassle.