For the Jew every day contains at some point a moment of thankfulness. In fact because of a legend regarding a plague that took the lives of 100 people in one day during King David’s reign and the rabbi’s understanding of the spiritual reasoning for the plague a daily ritual of saying 100 blessings of thankfulness to God was instituted.
How do you have a heart of thankfulness when you are going through difficulty? When you are seeing the rich exploiting the poor and you in the poor category isn’t the most natural thing to do is grumble?
Remember this promise?
“Those who wait for the LORD [meaning who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power;
they will lift up their wings [meaning they will rise up close to God] like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.” (Isaiah 40:31)
James is saying be like a farmer who continues to sow and waits for the rains to get a crop. Continue to do your best to live your life as a Christian. Don’t take out your worries on others.
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” (James 5 v 7-11)
In the waiting James is calling for a watch on our words. Don’t grumble.
While we wait on God we do not become anxious; we are not frustrated at the place we are at; we don’t become upset; we don’t try and make things happen in our own strength; we wait and trust in God.
It is in our very nature to grumble. We complain about everything.
It was midnight and 2 followers of Jesus, Paul and Silas, were in a dark horrible prison cell waiting their fate and they began to sing hymns of thankfulness to God. When we lift up thankfulness for whatever is before us then something from God will happen. Suddenly there is a violent earthquake and the prison doors fly open!
What has happened to you? What have you gone through? Difficult that it might be watch what you are saying. Give thanks to God. Something is about to happen.
Missions Paul 