Day 21: Friday 3/13

READ: James 5:7-8 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the coming of the Lord. Consider the farmer who waits patiently for the coming of rain in the fall and spring, looking forward to the precious fruit of the earth. You also must wait patiently, strengthening your resolve, because the coming of the Lord is near.

REFLECT 

James calls for patience, but not passivity. The farmer doesn't merely wait — he plants, tends, watches. He works and then waits for what only God can provide: the rain, the harvest.

James is writing to people suffering under injustice. He has just condemned the wealthy who exploit workers. Now he tells those workers: be patient. Justice is coming. Liberation is coming. But until then, strengthen your resolve. Don't give up. Don't accommodate. Wait faithfully.

This kind of patience trusts that God will make things right while refusing to make peace with things being wrong. The farmer doesn't stop farming while he waits for rain. We don't stop working for justice while we wait for God's justice.

RESPOND 

What are you waiting for that requires patience? Entrust it to God today and choose to stand firm.

PRAY 

God whose coming will make all things new, give us patience to endure while we wait, and courage to resist while we hope. Amen.