James 5 Devotional

Waiting on a Compassionate Lord

“See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”James 5:11 (BSB)

James 5 begins with a hard word to the rich who have hoarded wealth and held back the wages of the workers who harvested their fields. Those unpaid wages cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts (5:4). No injustice goes unheard. The Judge is standing at the door (5:9).

To those who suffer, James says to be patient until the Lord comes, like a farmer waiting through the seasons for the rain and the crop (5:7-8). He points to the prophets and to Job, who endured and then saw what the Lord brought about in the end. The reason to persevere is the character of God: the Lord is full of compassion and mercy (5:11). That same God hears prayer. The sick can call for the elders, sins can be confessed and forgiven, and Elijah, a man just like us, prayed and saw God answer (5:14-18). Waiting on this Lord is not passive. It is patience that keeps praying, because he is listening.

To think about: What situation have you stopped praying about, and how does the Lord's compassion invite you to bring it to him again?