Day 20. James 5.

Years ago I went to Nicaragua on a mission trip. They took us to a community named Fifteenth November. Aptly named as on the 15th of November years before, an entire town was wiped out in a storm. They resettled in a field and build homes out of tree branches and black plastic bags. Several hundred people called this tent city home. They were especially proud of the fact that they had a restroom for our team to use; a four foot by four foot two foot tall wall of sticks around a hole in the ground.

This was poverty like I'd never seen before or since. It changed how I looked at everything since.

The lowest incomes in the United States hold wealth like these folks had never known. Even the homeless in the US have access to help and resources unknown in places like 5th November. Let's face it, in the grand scheme of the world's economy, we are all rich. Filthy rich.

So James' comments and warning to the rich apply to each and every one of us.

The chief lure of wealth and riches is self-reliance. When we can provide everything for ourselves, we don't need God. This wealth can insulate us from all suffering while others around us are absolutely crushed by it.

Our indifference to the cries of those we've offended rises up to the ears of the Lord of Armies, a term we see used for the second person of the Trinity in the Old Testament. But God's judgement isn't delayed due to indifference, he tarries because He's patient, which is the heart of James' next command; be patient.

We aren't called to use our wealth to avoid any suffering, speed up or delay the Lord's coming, we are to trust Him while we wait for His timing to be fulfilled. When the world is unfair and the powerful seem untouchable, we are not here to grasp for control, like so many scramble to do in our current political climate, but to endure with hope.

The farmer is steady, faithful, trusting it will rain when it is time for the rain to come. His return isn't an emergent escape plan, it's an anchor to hold us when the storms of bitterness, vengeance, and despair roll over us.  And when we learn to wait well, it will impact our speech.

In chapter 3 James warned us of the untamed tongue, here he brings back that encouragement. While we wait, we aren't to complain, grumble, or make promises we can't keep. We get frustrated when God's timing seems slower than we like. Then we begin to exaggerate, over inflate our offense, and the spiral continues.

Faithful people don't need theatrics, loud and boisterous words, or impassioned discourse.

Truth stands alone.

And the truth is ...

if we are suffering, we should pray.
If we are cheerful, we should praise.
If we are sick, we should pray together with the Elders.

Prayer isn't a measure of last resort. It's the air we breathe while we wait for our King.

He reminds us Elijah was powerful, not because he was awesome or special, but because he wasn't. He was just a man. The power came from God who answers prayers; effective prayers. Effective doesn't mean eloquent or perfect, it means energized, active, and alive.

James leaves us with hope. Hope that when we drift, we don't need to drift alone. We should speak truth to one another, pray earnestly, turning one another away from sin back to the salvation of our souls.  

We've all been given so much. We can never forget from whence it came.