5:7-11 Trusting in His Mercy Just as we cannot control the weather, we cannot control the circumstances of our lives—but we can control how we respond. James was writing to people who were accustomed to waiting patiently, trusting God for the rains before the harvest. Sometimes the rains never came; sometimes there was blight. Would they continue to trust and serve God? James notes the suffering prophets and Job as pictures of those who faithfully endured and saw God’s mercy in the end.