Perseverance – Keep Going - Knowing God's Presence in the Dark Seasons of Life

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” (2 Timothy 2:3-7, ESV)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1, ESV)

“Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” (James 5:11, ESV)

Australia’s “Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon” was a formidable test of endurance stretching over five hundred miles. One year, as the participants gathered and awaited the starting gun, one runner seemed conspicuously out of place. Sixty-one years old, dressed in farm clothing, and wearing rubber boots, Cliff Young bore little resemblance to his highly athletic, properly attired competitors. Other than rounding up sheep on foot, he had absolutely no training in long-distance running. Spectators, officials, and other participants dismissed the very idea that this man would even consider facing off against an elite group nearing the boundary of superhuman abilities.

While the other runners dashed ahead at the starting signal, Cliff just shuffled at an easy and painstakingly slow pace. As Cliff began his leisurely plodding, he was unaware of the normal and accepted strategy for approaching the course. The participants would run for eighteen hours of the day and then sleep for six. Not knowing this fact, as the other runners laid their heads down for some much-needed rest, Cliff continued to shuffle onward through the darkness.

On the last night, Cliff moved ahead of all the other racers, and by the light of day it was clear: no one was ahead of Cliff, and no one was close to catching him. He finished in five days, fifteen hours, and four minutes, shaving a large amount of time off the record. His closest competitor finished some ten hours later. Through sheer endurance and consistent movement, he met victory earlier than anyone expected.

When it comes to our spiritual lives, sometimes we feel like sprinters, but more often we feel more like shufflers. But no matter the pace, we must press forward for Jesus (Philippians 3:12-14). William Carey was well-acquainted with setbacks, ridicule, and personal loss as he led missionary efforts in India, yet his devotion to Christ urged him forward. “I can plod,” he wrote of himself. “I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.” Carey’s words are reminiscent of those written by the early church father Jerome, “God has entered us as contestants in a racecourse where it is our lot to be always striving. This place, then, a valley of tears, is not a condition of peace, not a state of security, but an arena of struggle and of endurance.” Many of your greatest battles will not be won with a brief, heroic charge, but with a long, mundane march, an idea expressed in the words of Charles Spurgeon: “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”

Like Cliff Young’s endeavor, our daily race of faith requires patience and disciplined movement as we press forward. We are in a spiritual ultramarathon. We will, at times, grow weary. Darkness will press close. Voices will tell us to stop running. Do not lose heart. Do not give up. If we practice discipline, hold the right focus, and remain on the course, we will finish our race.

But our race itself is not our ultimate focus; Jesus is. “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus, the One who ran the race perfectly, begins our race of faith, and he will bring us through to the finish. When he does, we will be able to proclaim, like the apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Reflection:

1. Read Galatians 6:9. Think of a time when you grew “weary of doing good.” What factors led to your weariness or frustration?
2. What trial are you enduring at the present moment? What has God taught you during this season about your ability or willingness to persevere? What are you learning about God through the experience?