Be Patient // Bryan L Carter - Concord Church

Devotional

Day 1: Be patient; the Lord's coming is near.

James calls believers to a quietness of heart and a rest of soul while they wait for Christ's return, reminding them that waiting is not passive but active trust. The farmer illustration shows the believer preparing the ground, planting seeds, and relying on God's timing for the early and latter rains; do what you can and trust God for what only He can do. Hold fast, plant faithfully, and let hope in the Lord's coming steady your soul. [02:40]

James 5:7–11 (ESV)
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rain. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Reflection: What one faithful "seed" (a concrete action: a conversation, application, appointment, or prayer step) will you plant this week while trusting God for the unseen growth? Describe the action and one simple way you'll remind yourself to trust God's timing.

Day 2: Avoid grumbling; choose grateful endurance instead.

The Israelites' story warns that impatience often turns into grumbling, which wastes seasons and can lock a person into delay. Grumbling focuses on what’s wrong and misses what God is doing; exchange complaints for gratitude and surround yourself with encouragers, not constant critics. Let thankfulness reframe your waiting so you won't miss the blessing God is bringing. [26:32]

Exodus 16:2–3 (ESV)
And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Reflection: Identify one recurring complaint you catch yourself saying about your waiting season; how can you turn that complaint into a specific statement of gratitude this week (name one detail you can thank God for each morning)?

Day 3: Hold hope; the Redeemer lives and vindicates.

The example of Job shows that faithful waiting can include deep loss and confusion, yet hope is anchored in the truth that the Redeemer lives. Even when circumstances feel unjust or suffering seems without end, trust that God sees, will vindicate, and is at work beneath the surface. Let the conviction that your Redeemer lives steady your courage to wait. [32:01]

Job 19:25–27 (ESV)
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”

Reflection: When suffering has tempted you to lose hope, what one truthful sentence about God’s character will you memorize and recite each morning this week to remind yourself that your Redeemer lives?

Day 4: Stand firm on God's promises and past faithfulness.

Confidence in waiting grows when one remembers God's past faithfulness: the God who began a good work in you will finish it. Fix your eyes on His promises rather than on others' timetables or social comparisons; past deliverances strengthen present endurance. Use the memory of God's previous faithfulness to stand firm when impatience rises. [23:32]

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Reflection: Recall one season when God proved faithful to you; list three specific ways He provided then and decide one practical way you'll let that memory shape how you respond to today's waiting season.

Day 5: Taste and see: God is good; wait with trust.

The invitation to “taste and see that the LORD is good” reminds the waiting heart that God’s goodness is present even when outcomes are delayed. Give your load to the Lord, stay surrendered, and practice trusting actions while you wait—God is at work in unseen places. Waiting with trust becomes a posture of worship because God is worth the wait. [45:38]

Psalm 34:8 (ESV)
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Reflection: Name one small, tangible way you will "taste" God's goodness this week (serve someone, rest, journal, or celebrate a small gift) and schedule when you will do it so you have a concrete reminder that God is good even in the waiting.

Sermon Summary

I invited us to sit with James 5:7-11 and the hard, holy word: be patient. I framed patience with a backyard smoker, not a microwave: low heat over a long time yields something tender and rich. God is not mass-producing instant Christians; he’s shaping us into the likeness of Jesus over time. Patience, I said, is a quiet heart and a rested soul in the face of uncomfortable delay. That’s why James gives it as a command, not a suggestion. We live fast—same-day shipping, instant answers—but the life of faith grows slowly, and that’s okay.

James points us to a farmer who does all he can—plows, plants, tends—and then waits for the autumn and spring rains. Waiting isn’t inactivity; it’s active fidelity. Keep planting seeds: apply again, take your medicine, steward your money, love your people, do what’s faithful—and then trust God for what only God can do. Some things are rain work: God’s work. And even when nothing breaks the surface, God is at work underground. Roots form in hidden places long before fruit shows above the soil.

So stand firm. Hold fast to God’s promises, and remember his past performance in your life. Don’t let impatience morph into grumbling. Israel’s complaints turned a months-long journey into 40 years of circles; gratitude keeps us moving with God. Fix your eyes on Christ, not on comparisons that churn anxiety and hurry. You’re not alone in the waiting—ask the prophets, ask Abraham and Sarah, ask Job. Every saint learns this lesson. And waiting on God is worth it. He is compassionate and merciful, present in every day of the delay. We came to the altar to put our waits—our people, our sicknesses, our needs—back in his hands, believing he’s already working where we cannot see.

Key Takeaways

1. Patience: a quiet heart amid delay Patience is not passivity; it’s spiritual steadiness under uncomfortable delay. It refuses the noise of hurry and the anxiety of control, choosing a rested soul that trusts God’s timing. This is how God matures us—slowly, deeply, honestly—until our lives resemble Jesus. [09:32]
2. Waiting is active, not idle The farmer tills and plants, then trusts the rains. In the same way, obedience today—applications, appointments, stewardship, prayer—is how we wait. Do what faithfulness requires, then leave the outcomes to God, who sends both early roots and later fruit. [16:55]
3. Trust God’s work you cannot see Most growth begins below the surface. When you see nothing above ground, God may be strengthening roots where no one is looking. Hope holds in hidden seasons, believing that unseen grace precedes seen harvest. [20:31]
4. Reject grumbling; choose grateful endurance Impatience often vents as complaint, but grumbling shrinks our vision and stalls our movement. Gratitude doesn’t deny pain; it names gifts in the dark and keeps the heart supple to God’s leading. Exchange sighs for thanks so you don’t miss the mercy right in front of you. [25:27]
5. Fix your eyes on Christ, not comparisons Comparison breeds hurry, envy, and restlessness; attention to Christ breeds patience. When we measure our pace by another’s highlight reel, we unlearn contentment. Set your gaze on the returning Lord and let his nearness reset your timing. [24:58]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:40] - Greetings and series context
[06:09] - Brisket and the slow work of God
[09:32] - Defining patience: quiet heart in delay
[12:37] - When it’s not over yet
[14:55] - The farmer’s illustration of faith
[16:55] - Waiting is active, not passive
[20:31] - Trusting God’s underground work
[24:58] - Escape comparison; fix your eyes on Christ
[25:27] - Don’t grumble; the Judge is near
[26:56] - Israel’s 40-year detour
[29:44] - You’re not alone: prophets and Job
[33:12] - Waiting on God is worth it
[37:12] - Altar call for those waiting
[45:38] - Speak encouragement: God is working

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading (ESV)
James 5:7–11
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until he receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Observation questions

What command does James give in verses 7–8, and what images does he use to explain how believers should wait? (look closely at the farmer, the rains, and “stand firm”)
What connection does James make between patience and the Lord’s coming? How does that future hope change the tone of waiting?
The teaching describes waiting as active—what examples of “planting seeds” while waiting were given (applications, medicines, stewardship, relationships)? [16:55]
What warning does James give about grumbling, and what Old Testament example shows the danger of complaint turning a short journey into a long detour? [25:27]

Interpretation questions

What does “patience” mean in this passage when it’s described as a “quietness of heart and a rest of soul in the face of uncomfortable delay,” and how should that shape a believer’s inner life? [09:32]
How should a believer understand the balance between human responsibility and divine action in “active waiting”—what things must be done by the person, and what must be left to God? [16:55]
In what ways does grumbling function as a spiritual problem that weakens faith and community, and why did grumbling lead Israel to lose momentum toward the promised land? [26:56]
How does the promise of Christ’s return function as the theological anchor for patience in James 5:7–8? How might that hope change daily priorities and decisions?

Application questions

Name one specific area of your life where you are currently waiting (job, relationship, healing, family, provision). What concrete “seeds” will you plant this week (one or two specific actions) while you trust God to do what only God can do? [16:55]
List two or three times in your past when God proved faithful. How will you use those memories to “stand firm” this week when impatience or fear rises? (write them down, set a reminder, share them with someone) [23:05]
Where do you notice grumbling or a complaining spirit in yourself? Choose one complaint to replace with a concrete act of gratitude this week (call someone to thank them, start a daily “three things” gratitude note, or speak a thank-you prayer each morning). [25:27]
What practices will you adopt to fix your eyes on Christ instead of measuring by others (examples: limit social media time, morning Scripture, memorizing a short promise, joining an accountability partner)? Pick one to start and say when you will begin. [24:58]
What “underground work” might God be doing in your life that you cannot see? How can you cultivate faith in that hidden season (journal, pray for patience, find one person to encourage you)? [20:31]
Who in your circle is also in a waiting season? Name one practical thing you will do in the next seven days to walk with them (visit, send an encouraging message, help with an application, pray with them). [29:44]
If trust is hard for you right now, what is one small, faithful step you can commit to today that shows you are waiting actively (send that application, keep the appointment, continue the medicine, give financially, forgive someone)? Set the specific day and time you will do it. [16:55]

Sermon Clips

the same day we can order from amazon the same day we can google whatever we think we need to know when it comes to our spiritual lives god says that patience is essential for you to be and become all that god has calledyou to be do you understand friends that god is trying to shape you into the image of his son jesus christ and that does not happen overnight it happens over time [00:09:48] (26 seconds) #MaturityTakesTime

We have an attitude when the line of the store doesn't move fast enough.We get critical quickly when stuff ain't moving like we want it to move.But he comes by to say, be patient.I love verse 7 because it says, be patient until the Lord's coming.What he's reminding us here is that he wants us to understand that one of the reasons we can be patient is that we must recognize that this world is not everything.That we live in a broken and fallen world. [00:13:22] (34 seconds) #RememberBrokenWorld

``And so some of the stuff that's messed up and some of the stuff that we're waiting on is a consequence that in a broken, fallen world, you're always going to be waiting on something.And so he says, our hope is not that everything gets fixed in this world, but our hope is that Jesus is coming back.And when he comes back, he'll fix all the stuff that needs to be fixed.But right now, we have to hold on until he comes back.And in the meanwhile, we can have peace because he knows he's coming back. [00:13:57] (35 seconds) #JesusIsComingHope

In the midst of you being patient on God, I pray you have enough faith to believe that just because you don't see anything above grounddoesn't mean God's not working underground.Just because the relationship hasn't gotten better yet, I want you to pray and believe that God is still working on somebody's heart.Just because your finances ain't been fixed yet doesn't mean God ain't getting you ready for what he wants to do on the other side.Just because you're on the same job now doesn't mean God's not getting you ready for the next job. [00:21:08] (33 seconds) #GodWorksUnderground

Stand on his past performance in your life.I know you may be waiting on God in a different arena of your life, but this ain't the first time you've had to wait on God.This ain't the first time you've had to learn how to be patient.No, you've had tests all over your life.And let what God did in the prior test give you confidence in the current test that the God who got you through that test is the same God that will get you through this test.Stand firm on his past performance. [00:23:55] (36 seconds) #StandOnPastFaith

We could have, we could have stayed where we are.They are grumbling about God.And God is trying to take them somewhere.But they are so impatient that they spend all their time grumbling about Moses and grumbling about Aaron and grumbling about their situation.They spend all that time and a journey that should have taken just a few months and should have taken them to the promised land.Matter of fact, they send 12 spies and two come back and 10 come back with a bad report and two come back with a good report.And those 10, they believe that report and they begin to give in and start grumbling. [00:26:39] (38 seconds) #DontGrumbleMoveForward

The enemy wants you so bitter and so full of complaining and so irritated that you're going to miss the blessing that God is doing right in front of your face.You're going to complain so much that the one that God sent you is going to walk right by because you're so bitter and so mad about the one that you lost.God is trying to tell somebody in the room, friend, if you could just learn to be grateful and stop giving them the grumbling and look out for grumbling people because all of us got a few people in our lives.They love to grumble and complain and critique anything.Put them on block for a minute because they're not going to help you in your waiting season. [00:28:35] (40 seconds) #BlockTheGrumblers

I'm trying to take my seat, but I feel help right now because somebody in the room has been waiting on God.And I came out to tell you that waiting on God is always worth it.Yes.I said, waiting on God is always worth it.If you hold on, if you wait on him, if you trust him, if you believe him, if you let him do it in due season, he will.I said, he will.Do I have any witnesses in the room that can testify? [00:32:58] (44 seconds) #WaitingIsWorthIt

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