Patience and Pearls

“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 latter rains.  You also be patient. “                 James 5:7-8a

One of the most annoying things that could ever happen to an oyster is to have a grain of sand caught between its shells.   It will work hard to expunge the grain of sand and try various techniques to rid itself of this tiny irritant.  Sometimes it is unable to do so and after a high degree of effort and exasperation, frustration and exhaustion, it does the only thing it knows to do.  It begins to give itself a measure of relief by coating the grain of sand over and over.  It will continue in this process for quite a long time until finally, the tiny grain of sand ends up being something people will pay top dollar to possess.  We know this irritant as another name.  We call it a pearl.

We all need to remember, that a pearl is nothing more than the result of a frustrated oyster.

Here in the book of James, the Apostle tells is we are to be patient.  He says we are to look to the farmer as being a model of patience for us.  Just as farmers plant their seed and then wait until harvest, James seems to be telling his readers that we must wait.  Wait for the LORD’s move, wait for the LORD’s timing and, as he tells us directly, “You also be patient.”

Further, he points us to the prophets and then mentions the patience of Job.  All three examples have the common concept of doing something they know to do, yet waiting on Him to work.

Think of this period of time of waiting as being in God’s Waiting Room.  When someone you love is in surgery or some other procedure, you are ushered into a Waiting Room.   Nobody really wants to be there but it is the place you must go to wait.  You don’t know exactly what is happening but you must sit idle and wait.  Wait for news about what is happening as you wait for the procedure to be completed.

Remember this when you are in God’s Waiting Room.  He is working on a resolution to your issue.  He is working things out and just because you aren’t seeing anything happen, don’t be discouraged.  God is working on something to our benefit.  We too may find the thing we are the most frustrated with, the thing that is causing us great irritation may be the thing that becomes a valuable resource – our own pearl in a sense.  Like the farmer waits for the harvest, we too must wait on His timing.   Just as the oyster finally produces a beautiful pearl, we too will produce a marvelous work of the Lord in our life if we wait.  Patiently wait on Him.

Blessings my friend!

Jeff Millslagle