The Book of James
A 10 day devotional series on thriving and surviving this Thanksgiving break
Day 10
Read: James 5:7-20
Devo: Patience. Just the word can make us cringe. We can see the desire to grow in patience disappearing before our eyes in the world around us. Even the need for patience has dwindled as the world grew into a culture of instant gratification. Take a moment to think of the example James gives in verse 7 about a farmer waiting for the fruits of his labor. Can you imagine having to wait for the food for you and your entire family food to grow? Sometimes, we don’t even want to wait for our food in the microwave! We can become impatient in a matter of seconds if the internet connection is poor quality or if our bus to campus is running late. Because of the culture of instant gratification, there are few chances in our day-to-day lives that require us to practice being patient; however, we have to be people of patience if we are to be people of prayer. James concludes his letter with a charge to the church to be people of prayer in every circumstance- in suffering, in joy, in sickness, and in moments of sin and confession. Let us be people of prayer that believe what the word says in verse 16: The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working! How can we know God if we are not patient enough to be people of prayer? In the moments that you feel discouraged in your prayer life, ask God to renew your patience!
Process with the Lord through the journaling questions!
Pray: Lord, I am so sorry for the moments that I have not prayed with a heart of patience. I’m sorry for the times that I have not patiently waited for your return, but instead become frustrated, discouraged and distracted. Would you teach me to pray and to be patient in the face of suffering?
Devo: Patience. Just the word can make us cringe. We can see the desire to grow in patience disappearing before our eyes in the world around us. Even the need for patience has dwindled as the world grew into a culture of instant gratification. Take a moment to think of the example James gives in verse 7 about a farmer waiting for the fruits of his labor. Can you imagine having to wait for the food for you and your entire family food to grow? Sometimes, we don’t even want to wait for our food in the microwave! We can become impatient in a matter of seconds if the internet connection is poor quality or if our bus to campus is running late. Because of the culture of instant gratification, there are few chances in our day-to-day lives that require us to practice being patient; however, we have to be people of patience if we are to be people of prayer. James concludes his letter with a charge to the church to be people of prayer in every circumstance- in suffering, in joy, in sickness, and in moments of sin and confession. Let us be people of prayer that believe what the word says in verse 16: The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working! How can we know God if we are not patient enough to be people of prayer? In the moments that you feel discouraged in your prayer life, ask God to renew your patience!
Process with the Lord through the journaling questions!
Pray: Lord, I am so sorry for the moments that I have not prayed with a heart of patience. I’m sorry for the times that I have not patiently waited for your return, but instead become frustrated, discouraged and distracted. Would you teach me to pray and to be patient in the face of suffering?