So what happens? The despair, pressures and uncertainty of life remain. And then this sinking feeling sets in when you realize that the lack of response from God the Father only brings more despair, increased pressure and greater uncertainty.
A friend of mine has been dealing with life’s circumstances for some time now. And despite prayer, he seems to grow more weary every week. (You can pray for him here.)
So this morning I was wondering… is this what perseverance looks like? If so, am I personally ready for such a test?
At a men’s group on Monday, Kris shared a passage from 2 Peter:
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.
We talked about the process of becoming more Christ-like, and the steps and work involved getting there. If you’re a regular reader here, you’ll know that I’ve been dealing with issues of self-control for some time on a number of fronts—and have increasingly become more confident in the power I have with Christ in this regard.
So this morning I shuddered a bit. Because the next item on the list is perseverance.
And as I think about the friend mentioned above… the one who seemingly deals with despair, pressures and uncertainty without God jumping in to change life’s circumstances … I see him not only as a friend in need of prayer… I see him as a role model for the path I have yet to reach.
3 comments:
I sometimes think about John the Baptist and how Jesus did not free him from prison. To John, and to we who battle through unanswered prayers, Jesus says "blessed is the one who is not offended by me". It is easy to take up an offence towards God when we are hurting and our prayers are not answered.
When I am discouraged and find it hard to persevere I remember what Jesus said to John. I wrote a bit on this a week or so ago here.
What a beautiful, insightful post Bob. Thank you for sharing such a great example of perseverance.
Thx Ed. Hoping your friend is hanging in there and experiencing peace during this hard time.
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