Monday, November 7, 2022
But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
Persevering In the Struggle
Struggle, whether it is in a body of believers or in our lives personally, always calls for perseverance if we are going to make it through. Struggle comes to all, Christians and non-Christians alike. As Christians, we sometimes react to struggle like we are offended that God would even allow it to happen to us, or we feel like He must not love us or care about us, but neither is true. Our God is a good Father, who wants the very best for us, and sometimes that incudes struggle. In fact, God rarely sends us down the easy path. If we are always on the easy path, we never reach for Him or need Him, and we don’t grow – we sail through feeling quite confident in ourselves. But struggle is good for us. It transforms us and in our struggle, we will press into Him. In our struggle we will see His power in and over everything. In our stuggle He will be glorified. And in the end, that should be our goal.
In the middle of the struggle, we are not always focused on what glorifies God. We are usually looking for the train going south, when God may want us to stay on the train that is going the same way we have been going for far too long in our assessment. We want the easy way, the way that makes us feel better, the way that gives us what we want, or the way that numbs our pain or gets us out of an uncomfortable place. It is our nature to want to run away from the hard things, especially when we are weary and lose hope because we have been waiting for God to change things for a long, long time. In our own power we cannot do it, because we are weak and weariness sets in fast. When we are weary we lose heart.
God usually does not delivers us from our struggles, nor does He work them out the way we think He should. If we aren’t completely surrendered to Him we miss the beauty of the journey. We miss the signs. We also miss it when we quit. When we are in the middle of a stuggle, particularly a lengthy one, it is easy to want to give up. But there are some things we can remember to help us through: Focus on God, seek His direction and ask what He wants you to learn in this stuggle. What is He trying to teach you? Maybe He wants you to lean in to Him instead of running. Maybe He wants you to trust Him and grow your faith. Maybe - all of it.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:9-10
Paul was talking to the Christians in the church in Galatia, but the principles can be applied to us personally as well.
While we are waiting…
While we are struggling…
What if we focus on Him and doing His work?
What if we persevere and keep moving forward, taking our mind off our present circumstances and focus on not growing weary of doing good? What if we stop worrying about how He is going to work it out and trust Him? If we focus on Him and do His work, we are a whole lot less likely to lose heart and want to give up.
It is easy but dangerous to lose heart. In the ancient world, this phrase translated lose heart was used for the kind of fear and weariness a woman experiences during labor before delivery. It describes a time when the work is hard and painful, but also unfinished and unrewarded. It’s easy to lose heart when we feel like that, but that is exactly when we must hang on and not grow weary while doing good. - David Guzik
Do not grow weary - but keep doing good…
While you struggle…
While you wait…
With the difficult child…
In the broken marriage…
At the unfulfilling job…
To see breakthrough you have to keep going through the hard and painful times. And honestly, for some struggles, we may never see the end or the reward this side of heaven. But God will be glorified, and we will find strength, peace, and even purpose in our struggle if we persevere, keeping our focus on Him and do His work.
