James 5:4 (ESV)

Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

“The wages of the laborers…are crying out against you.” That reminds me of the passage in Genesis when God says to Cain that his brothers blood is “crying to me from the ground” (Gen 4:10 ESV). Sometimes our perspective is too narrow. Every injustice, every murder, every act of violence against the innocent, every unrighteous act cries out to God, and he hears. The fact that we do not see him immediately strike down the perpetrators does not mean that he does not hear or that he does not care. He is simply saying, “Be patient…. Establish your hearts…. Do not grumble” (Jas 5:8-9 ESV). How can he say that? Because, “The Judge is standing at the door” (Jas 5:9 ESV).

We talk about people getting away with crimes, oppression, and injustice. But that is not true. No one gets away with anything. God hears. God keeps good records. God never forgets. God is standing at the door ready to enter and judge. The Scriptures remind us that there is coming a day when “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Rom 14:10 ESV). When we do, “‘Every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:11-12 ESV). We want justice now. We want judgment against them now. God says, “Be patient.”

Patience is an act of trust. It is an act of faith. If we do not really believe that God will handle it then we try to take matters into our own hands. If truly believe that he will take care of things, then we can wait patiently for him. Patience is also a matter of perspective. If we think of these few years called life as everything, then we want God to act now. If we realize that this life of 60, 70, 80, or 90 years is just a drop in the bucket, just the waiting room for the main event, then we can wait patiently. Waiting rooms are rarely fun, but we put up with them because we need to see the doctor, or because when our car is fixed it will run right again. Waiting rooms promise something beyond the waiting room. They are usually worth the wait. I know that we sometimes get impatient and irritable in waiting rooms, but we put up with it because of what is beyond. Life is the waiting room to eternity. Do we trust God or not? Waiting patiently is about faith and perspective. What do you believe? How big is your perspective? God is faithful. We can trust him.