The Key to Perseverance in Tough Times
Got an impossible task?
A stack of bills and no money in your checking account? A last-minute assignment from your boss when you’re already swamped? Thirty extra pounds on your body that need to come off? Mountains of laundry?
Maybe it’s a dream that won’t get off the ground. Rejections pile up. An army of adversaries gang up against you. Roadblocks multiply. Bad news gets worse.
How do you keep going? How do you get beyond discouragement? How do you persevere in finishing the job, getting over the next hurdle, doing the right thing?
Most definitions of perseverance use words like persistence, steadfastness, and tenacity to overcome handicaps or hardships. Certainly, the road to success involves hard work, especially for goals over long stretches of time like earning an Olympic gold medal.
The world tells us we can endure difficulties by ourselves, as long as we have enough willpower. But even the gutsiest of us reach a point of despair when we encounter insurmountable brick walls. All the pounding of our fists won’t get us through. We simply don’t have enough strength on our own.
The only way to truly persevere is to keep our eyes on the living Lord and His vision for our future.
When King Jehoshaphat in Judah found a multitude of enemies approaching to attack, he gathered all of his people to fast and pray.
In his prayer, Jehoshaphat acknowledged God’s mighty power and confessed that they had no strength or wisdom to defend themselves. But, as Jehoshaphat said before God, their eyes were upon Him to save them.
Trusting that God would fight the battle, Jehoshaphat sent singers ahead of the Judean army to praise God for His great mercy. When they arrived at the battlefield, all of their enemies were dead—the attackers had slain each other. God had orchestrated the victory for them. (See 2 Chronicles 20.)
Our Lord still performs miracles. He can clear away obstacles from our path in a single blow. But He also takes us on long slogs through the wilderness, leading us through brambles and briars by His light, His Holy Spirit of wisdom, and His strength.
We’ll collapse on the way unless we cling to God’s hand and His purpose for our lives. We must believe He will open the right doors, push us through, and keep us going. Our job is to follow Him on the course He has chosen for us, no matter how many difficulties line the way, no matter how long it takes.
What daunting task do you face today? Whatever faces you, remember that Jesus Christ Himself walks ahead of you on the narrow way. Turn your eyes toward His loving face, and let the strength of His love help you put one foot in front of the other. Pray for His mercy. Seek His vision, and focus on it. Trust God to provide what you need to carry you through, because nothing is impossible with Him!
Questions for Reflection:
How do you typically react when things are not going in your favor?
How often do you engage God in prayer when the world seems to be against you?
What types of things do you ask God for in your prayers? Like Jehoshaphat, do you confess God’s mighty power and strength or do you lament about your current plight?
