Persevering in the midst of a
trial is difficult. Giving up is appealing, but realistically, is surrender an
option? If not…
How
do we persevere?
First, we admit our humanity and
our inability to go it alone.
In the Bible, we see Moses, Job,
King David, John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostle Paul, to name a few, caught
between the proverbial rock and hard place—with the hard place usually being
death.
Job said, “Shall we accept good
from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:9-10). We then see his humanity in the next
chapter when he sits down and laments his own birth (Job 3).
Jesus said, “My soul is
overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” He prayed twice for God to take
the cup of crucifixion from him but ultimately yielded “may your will be done”
(Matthew 26:38-42).
The Apostle Paul “pleaded” three
times for his thorn to be removed (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
We see each of these men in a state
of human despair, yet they didn’t rely on humanity to save them, because,
frankly, it wasn’t equal to the task. So what was their secret to persevering?
If you read further into the book
of Job, the Gospels, and the letters written by the Apostle Paul, you’ll see
that when these men cried out, it was to God.
As Christians, we know our
perseverance comes from God. He said His grace is sufficient for all things.
He’s not going to allow a trial into our lives that He's unwilling to equip us
for. We must "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and delve into the Word and see God's promises and instructions laid out for us
through His apostles.
But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 1:17-21
But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 1:17-21
Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the
sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race
marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter
of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured
such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
That sounds like a pretty good
formula for persevering. If we keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus, we won’t
grow spiritually faint and lose heart. We’ll also be able to throw off that
which tries to hinder us—namely Satan.
But what’s the purpose of a
trial? Why doesn’t God just fix things? In other words…
Why
do we persevere?
…we
also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4
…because
you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance
finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking
anything.
James 1:3-4
For
this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to
goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,
perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual
affection; and to mutual affection, love. 2 Peter 1:5-7
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:15-16
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:15-16
In addition to the spiritual
growth we experience, our ultimate reward will be in heaven.
So
do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need
to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive
what he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36
Blessed
is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that
person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to
those who love him. James 1:12
Are you walking through a trial
and having trouble persevering? Be encouraged by God’s Word that He keeps His
promises, He walks with you through difficult times, and your faith will grow. In turn, you'll often find yourself in a position to encourage someone on the path behind you going through a similar trial.
Best of all, you’ll stand before God one day and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21),
Do you have a
Bible verse that has encouraged you during difficult times?
If you need prayer, please leave
a comment or email me confidential requests. I’d love to pray for you.
God bless,
Laura
© Laura Hodges Poole
“Woman Climbing Rock” image
courtesy of olovedog at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
“Young Woman Praying” image
courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
“Faith and Believe” image
courtesy of the pathtraveler @FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
Amen and thank you Laura. Sometimes it does seem easier to give up and quit than to try to keep going but when we let God take the lead we are sure to make it through to the end. Blessings, Marcie
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Marcie. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. God bless you.
DeleteGreat article Laura! Much needed at this time. I have a prayer request - please pray for my brother he is going through some major health problems, his wife has left him after 33 years of marriage and filed for divorce, he is about to lose his business (job and insurance), he recently stopped drinking (with God's help) and many other issues. His name is Johnny. Thank you and pray all is well with you and yours!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Betty. I'm so glad you stopped by and shared a request. I'm sorry Johnny is going through that, but I'm so thankful he stopped drinking. I'll be praying for all of you. God bless.
DeleteAmen! Powerful verses that both admonish and encourage.
ReplyDeleteLately psalm 37:7a has given me comfort and rest.