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, brothers, 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 purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
James 5:9-11
Have you ever found yourself yelling at a loved one over something that in retrospect was not actually worth an emotional explosion? Sometimes, when life is hard, we can allow our frustrations about situations to impact the individuals around us. Perhaps it’s because we aren’t processing our emotions well, or maybe it’s just because it’s easier to yell at a person than a situation. Whatever the case, James welcomes us to grumble to God about situations in honest conversation, but he forbids that we turn and grumble against each other.*
James reminds us of the prophets of old. Though we don’t know specifically which prophets he refers to, we do know that they spoke for and lived for God.* What was required of them is what is required of us. As Douglas Moo puts it,
What is needed is a willingness to bear up under the suffering, maintaining spiritual integrity and waiting patiently for the Lord himself to intervene to transform the situation.
That’s no small order, and God does not take it lightly (hence, His effort to talk to us about it through James). God does not intend that we welcome or wish for or belittle the incredible difficulties of this life; He does intend for us to gain as much as possible from those things that threaten to destroy us.
George Stulac, giving a progression through life’s difficulties, also gives us a glimpse into the heart of God for us in this broken world:
Suffering enters the believer’s life; perseverance is the believer’s response; blessing comes from the Lord, who is full of compassion and mercy.
James says, “we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.” We don’t often consider ourselves “blessed” when life is hard and we have to persevere, but we look at characters of the Bible like the prophets and Job and consider that they experienced blessings (indeed, even Job ended his life with more than he lost).* In trusting the words of James that those who endure with patience are blessed, we must remind ourselves of the nature of blessing.
As a reminder, blessed refers to a wholeness of life.* Jesus, in describing His upside-down Kingdom, lets us know who is blessed, and it’s not who you would expect (Matthew 5:3-12). A wholeness of life includes enduring patiently to the end of the race of life.*
Life is hard at times. Talk to God honestly about it. Don’t take it out on the people around you.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to receive the wholeness of life that God has for you: blessing. Perhaps today God wants you to stop taking out frustrations about situations on the people that you love. Maybe today God wants you to be honest about your frustrations with Him. Maybe today God wants you persevere with patience.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!
*Blomberg, C. L., & Kamell, M. J. (2008). James (Vol. 16, pp. 228–230). Zondervan.
Guthrie, G. H. (2006). James. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, pp. 266–267). Zondervan.
Stulac, G. M. (1993). James (Jas 5:9–11). IVP Academic.
Moo, D. J. (2021). The Letter of James (D. A. Carson, Ed.; Second Edition, pp. 285–292). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Nystrom, D. P. (1997). James (pp. 286–288). Zondervan Publishing House.
Martin, R. P. (1988). James (Vol. 48, pp. 192–196). Word, Incorporated.