We Don't Give Up

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 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 1:2-4)

Are you like me and wonder why the whole world occasionally drops right on your head? Don’t get me wrong, I am truly and richly blessed by God, but I have still faced some tough testing. I know I’m not promised I will be free of tribulation throughout my walk. In fact, Jesus promised me I would be tested. It’s no fun when I’m going through something unpleasant. I tend to retreat into myself and not share my worries and anxieties with anyone else. It’s difficult for me to make a joyful noise when things are falling down around my ears.

God could, as the master of the universe, protect me from all trials and tribulations. He could order his angels to encircle me and always protect me from any enemy that might want to do me harm. When I’m about to make a poor decision that will cost me dearly, he could have the Holy Spirit whisper a better solution into my ear. I would never have to worry about cancer or other deadly diseases in me or my saved loved ones. I would never have to worry about persecution from a hostile atheistic society that gets worse every day.

If God protected me from all that, I would get weaker in my faith, not stronger. It’s like when you fail to exercise your muscles, they deteriorate. If I don’t have to persevere through the troubles of life, I become soft, and eventually I would fall victim to doubt and unbelief. As long as I keep my focus on Jesus, he has always seen me through to the other side of those unhappy times. I can’t imagine facing the death of a loved one without him by my side. I’m sure he will always be there.

God doesn’t want me to run away from my problems. He wants me to be steady, calm, and true to my faith in Jesus Christ. That means I stay with whatever situation I find myself in, until there’s a resolution. That means I continue to praise the Lord even when I don’t feel like it. It means I trust God with whatever outcome is within his will and plan for my life. All those are much easier to cope with if I have a good base to my faith before the trial begins. It’s rather difficult to build on my faith in Christ if I’m in the midst of one of the misfortunes of life.

We come to you, Father, on bent knees to ask to protect our souls and guide us through our trials and tribulations. You hold the keys to our hearts and it’s there we store our joy and love for you and hope for eternity. When trouble comes, and you promise it will, help us to return to that place in our hearts where joy resides. It’s hard for us to remember that you are our joy when we’ve shared the good news with someone, but they’ve rejected us and therefore, you. Help us to remember that each rejection will help us in our own faith. Since we have faith in you, we will always persevere in sharing the gospel of your Christ with everyone we meet. Each time we’re mistreated for our faith, help us to remember our Lord was persecuted to the point of death. Give us the determination to always be about your business, not quitting when times get tough. Remind us that with perseverance comes the maturing of our knowledge in the Word. In Jesus’ most holy name, we pray. Amen!