“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s
perseverance”(II Thessalonians 3:5).
Perseverance – that word may trigger varying emotions, some being negative. When I think of perseverance, I think in terms of me persevering, not God. I get tired of persevering, even though I know His word says it is accomplishing a good work in me. Then I read a thought-provoking statement in one of my books. The author said that when we want to give up we need to persevere with God because God perseveres with us.
How does God persevere with me? When I doubt Him over and over again, not
learning my lessons from previous situations, He continues to show Himself faithful. He does not give up on me when I give up on
Him. At times He may be my last resort
but I am never His. When I disappoint Him, He never rejects or abandons
me. He keeps forgiving, keeps loving,
keeps strengthening and protecting.
Aside from the fact that perseverance is beneficial for spiritual maturity, I want to choose perseverance out of love for all God has done for me. When I get tired of waiting for medical appointments or test results, I remember that God persevered through countless years of problems with humanity, waiting for the appointed time to send Christ to earth for me. When I feel I can’t endure any more pain or sacrifice, I remember that Jesus persevered through life and death on earth because of me, suffering more than I can comprehend. When I’m tempted to give up on God, I think of the way the Holy Spirit perseveres in drawing me back.
When I persevere I am working together with God. Remembering that fact will give me the persistence I need to keep going until the work is finished. Then God and I will rejoice together, and that’s worth persevering for!
Prayer: O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee; I give Thee back the life I owe, that in Thine ocean’s depths its flow may richer, fuller be. (Hymn O Love That Will Not Let Me Go) Amen.
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