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James 5:7
7 Be patient [makrothumeo] therefore [oun], brethren [adelphos], unto [heos] the coming [parousia] of the Lord [kurios]. Behold [idou], the husbandman [georgos] waiteth [ekdechomai] for the precious [timios] fruit [karpos] of the earth [ge], and hath long patience [makrothumeo] for [epi] it [autos], until [heos] [an] he receive [lambano] the early [proimos] and [kai] latter [opsimos] rain [huetos]. KJV-Interlinear
7 Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. NASB
All of human history is a planting and a harvest. God has looked down through the corridors of time and has seen everyone who will believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, just as the farmer plants his crop and then has to wait for it to come into full ripeness for harvest, and just as the farmer, while waiting during this growing season, prays for good rains and favorable weather, so too, you as the believer in Christ, need to learn patience, and pray for favorable circumstances for yourself as well as others.
During your life, you will most likely see good times and bad. Today the stock market took a beating, but it wasn’t its worst in history. Within a few months it will most likely recover its loses, but the beating may not be over yet.
In other times your life will be better, and it will be worse. But remember that Jesus Christ controls history, not governments, not stock markets, not anyone.
Just as God controls the weather and brings prosperous rains, and disastrous storms, so too, these economic changes are there to gain your attention and turn your attention toward Him, not your pocketbook.
This disaster could very well turn south and really get ugly. Or, this could be just a hiccup to get your attention.
In any case, history is Gods garden, and humanity is His crop. Some will believe and be saved, and some will reject Christ and lose their eternal life in heaven. But regardless of what people do, God is harvesting people right and left as we live and breathe. And, He does it everyday and has been harvesting everyday and night for all of mans history.
While we focus on the current events, God is managing humanity for His wise purpose.
You cannot prevent economic events, nor can you cause them, just as you cannot control the weather. But you can control your attitude toward God, toward Christ, toward doctrine, and toward your spiritual life.
You can either conform with Gods plan, and learn patience as history unfolds right before your eyes, or you can do as so many people do in this country and world, and ignore God to your own detriment and loss.
