Humbly, Patiently And Prayerfully Living In Tough Times

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James 5

Rich Oppressors Will Be Judged
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

Be Patient and Persevering
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

Meeting Specific Needs
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Bring Back the Erring One
19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,
20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

We are living in very tough times. In the midst of a global pandemic, there are earthquakes and wars in various places, and also rumors of another World War. These things must happen before the end comes. Thus, we need not be fearful and afraid.

In James 5, the Word of God encourages us, and teaches us how to live in such times.

Firstly, we need to live humbly before the Lord. A warning is given to the wicked, proud and rich people who are oppressing others. Now, they will cry and be very sad because of the troubles that will come to them. Their riches will rot, and their clothes will be eaten by moths. Their gold and silver will corrode and rust because they are not pure. Rust will be a proof that they have mixed their precious metals with other metallic alloys. Their money will become banana notes. Thinking that their earthly treasures will save them in such times, they will be greatly disappointed and dismayed.

They are workers and laborers working in their fields. But their rich employers oppress them, and do not pay them fairly and timely. Even after the crops are harvested, payment of wages are delayed and held back. These poor workers or slaves are crying out against their wicked oppressors. And the Lord heard their cries.

The life of the wicked oppressors on earth was full of riches indulging in sinful pleasures and gratifications. They pleased themselves with everything they wanted. But they have made themselves fat, like an animal ready for the slaughterhouse. As they have showed no mercy to the innocent and poor, there will be no mercy for them. As they have mistreated and exploited those who cannot stand against them, they will not be able to stand before the Lord.

Secondly, we need to live and wait patiently until the Lord comes again. Just like a farmer who is patient. He waits for his valuable crops to grow from the earth. He waits patiently for it to receive the first rain and the last rain. We, too, must be patient. We must not give up hope in the Lord as He is coming soon.

We should not complain against each other. If we carry on complaining, we will be judged severely as the Judge is ready to come! We need to encourage and exhort each other to persevere and press on faithfully in the Lord as the Day of His Coming draws nearer!

We need to follow the godly examples of the prophets who spoke for the Lord in the past. They suffered many hardships and terrible things, but they were patient before the Lord. They endured patiently through tough times and severe persecutions. And the Lord blessed them and strengthened their hearts! We can learn from the patience and perseverance of Job. After all his troubles and pains, the Lord helped and blessed him. Truly, the Lord is full of love, mercy and grace.

Thirdly, we need to be careful in what we say. It is very important that we do not make null and void oaths, and false promises. We should not use the name of heaven, earth, or anything else to substantiate and support what we say. When we mean yes, just say only “yes.” When we mean no, just say only “no.” As we do so, we will avoid future disputes and arguments.

Fourthly, we need to pray. There is power in prayer. If we have trials, troubles or tribulations, we should pray. If we are happy, we should sing praises. If we are sick, we should call our church elders. Our elders would pour oil on us in the name of the Lord, and pray for us. And prayers that are prayed with faith will make the sick persons well. The Lord will heal us.

And if we have sinned, God will forgive us. We need to confess our sins, that we have sinned against others, to each other, and pray for each other after forgiving each other. As we do so, God will heal us.

When a righteous man prays, great things happen. For example, Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! Then Elijah prayed again. And the rain came down from the sky, and the land yielded crops again.

Lastly, we need to reach and touch others with the gospel and love of Christ. There are many believers who have departed from the Christian faith. They have wandered away from the truth as they have given up hope in God. And we can be the vessels, instrumental and important to help and bring them back to Christ! We need to remember always that if we bring sinners back from the wrong ways, we will help in leading them away from the paths of death. By doing so, we will cause many sins to be forgiven.

Even in such times, we can live and move and have our being in the Lord!

Written on 27 February 2022