Category: When the Going Gets Tough

Hebrews 12:1b-3 (NIV) – And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

“God calls you to persevere by faith, and then, with powerful grace, he protects and keeps you. In Romans 15:5, Paul calls your Lord “the God of endurance.” This title really gets at the center of where your hope is to be found…Let me state it plainly: your hope is not to be found in your willingness and ability to endure, but in God’s unshakable, enduring commitment to never turn from his work of grace. Your hope is that you have been welcomed into communion with One who will endure no matter what…Your hope of enduring is not to be found in your character or strength, but in your Lord’s. Because he will ever be faithful, you can bank on the fact that he will give you what you need to be faithful too. Your perseverance rests on him, and he defines what endurance looks like! When difficulty exposes the weakness of your resolve and the limits of your strength, you do not have to panic, because he will endure even in those moments when you don’t feel able to do so yourself.” [Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies. Crossway. Kindle Edition.]

How have you experienced God’s faithfulness?

Prayer: “Thank you Father for Your faithfulness!  Even though I may be shaky, You are unshakable and Your faithfulness will continue to endure. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Let’s worship to “You Never Let Go” by Matt Redman. [click here]

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Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) –…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) ³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

“Nowhere does the Bible teach that Christians are exempt from tribulation and natural disaster. We live in a world infected with the disease of sin, and we share in its misery and pain. But the Bible does teach that we can face trials with a power others do not have—the power of God. As we trust Him, God helps us endure, and even discern His purposes in the midst of suffering. Christiana Tsai, the Christian daughter of a former governor in China, wrote, ‘Throughout my many years of illness, I have never dared to ask God why He allowed me to suffer so long. I only ask what He wants me to do.’ The eagle has the unique ability to lock its joints and soar effortlessly on an updraft instead of flapping its wings. As we wait on God, He helps us use the winds of adversity to soar above our problems. As the Bible says, ‘Those who wait on the LORD . . . shall mount up with wings like eagles.’” [Billy Graham, Hope for Each Day Morning and Evening Devotions (p. 91). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.]

In whatever you are going through, let’s take a moment to prayerfully consider what would the Lord want you to do.

Prayer: “Father, I recognize that it is not about me, but about what you would want me to do.  I will wait on You. I will put my hope in You. I trust that you will enable me to soar above my problems.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Let’s worship to “Waiting Here for You” by Martin Smith. [click here]

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Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) –…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

2 Chronicles 32:7-8 (NIV) – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. ⁸ With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.”

“For the believer, fear is always God-forgetful. If  God is sovereign and his rule is complete, wise, righteous, and good, why would you fear? Judah had been invaded by the powerful king of Assyria, Sennacherib. Hezekiah prepared and armed Judah for battle…He knew that in these moments God’s people were often given to fear. They would forget who they were as the children of God and they would forget who God is in all his almighty power and glory…Hezekiah didn’t want the people of Judah to think that they were left to their battle courage, their war experience, and their skill with weapons. He wanted them to know that they had been amazingly blessed with another ingredient, one that they could not, must not forget. So he said: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him…With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.’” [Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies. Crossway. Kindle Edition.]

What are the battles that you are facing?

Prayer: “Father, thank you that I am your child and that you fight my battles.  You are with me and are my help.  Would you grant me new strength and courage to face the battles. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.” [click here]

Let’s close in worship with “Good Forever” by Matt Redman.

 

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Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) –…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Acts 16:25 (NIV) – About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

“Jay was my favorite sister. Even though she was older, she didn’t treat me like a tagalong. She liked me. I tried to copy everything she did. Maybe that’s why, many years later in the early seventies, after my accident, she asked me to come live with her. I was still a novice at being a quadriplegic, struggling to adjust to life in a wheelchair. But Jay made the early years of adapting to paralysis bearable. Sometimes, even sweet. My favorite memory was one late summer evening on the back porch under a full moon when Jay pulled up her rocker…we lifted up our voices on a beloved old hymn: “There is a fountain filled with blood, / drawn from Immanuel’s veins, / and sinners plunged beneath that flood, / lose all their guilty stains.” Even in the hardest and darkest of times, our loving Father weaves treasured memories and intervals of music and laughter through our lives. And when we sing aloud of his goodness and grace, our pain — even if only for the moment — loses its grip.[Joni Eareckson Tada, Pearls of Great Price. Zondervan. Kindle Edition.]

What is our usual response to pain and difficulty?

Instead, let’s see how putting on worship changes the way we walk through the hard times.

Prayer: “Father, no matter how I feel or what I am going through, I choose to worship you.  You are good and your love endures in all ways in my life!  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

Let’s close in worship with “Goodness of God” by Bethel Music. [click here]

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Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) –…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Job 23:11 (NIV) – My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.

“Some scholars think Job may be the oldest book in the Bible. Whether that is true or not, it certainly deals with one of humanity’s oldest questions: Why does God allow suffering? It isn’t an easy issue, because it goes to the heart of our deepest questions about God. After all, the argument runs, how could a loving and gracious God allow suffering? To put it another way: if God lets us suffer, He must not love us. But that conclusion is false. God does love us, and the proof is the suffering He allowed His Son to endure on the cross. What, then, is the answer to this age-old question? The key is to understand the character of God. That is what Job discovered. No, God never gave him a logical, complete rationale for his suffering. But through his experience, Job came to realize that God could be trusted because He is merciful and loving. And you can trust God too—not because He always gives us all the answers, but simply because He is God.” [Billy Graham, Hope for Each Day Morning and Evening Devotions (p. 457). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.]

Take some time to consider the character of our God especially displayed through our Lord Jesus on the cross.

Prayer: “Father, no matter what I go through, let me not turn aside, but help to me remember and treasure your love and mercy displayed through our Lord Jesus on the cross. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Let’s close in worship to “Once Again” by Matt Redman. [click here]

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