Endurance

“My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.”
Psalm 62:1-2

Those beautiful words penned by King David draw from his first-hand experience. In his commentary of Psalm 62, author John Durham shares that David “has been attacked without mercy, and he asks his assailants exasperatedly just how long they plan to keep up the attack… They have made their intention abundantly clear” (p. 295).

Everyone, to some degree, can identify with the pressure surrounding David. We have all felt the distress that comes with being attacked either in a physical or mental sense. What we learn from the words shared by David is that our salvation and our strength come only from the Lord.

When we consider the future and look at the hostility not only worldwide but also in our communities, it is easy for us to become fearful for our safety and, in some cases, our very way of life. We look to those in authority to maintain civility and suppress violence to keep us safe but try as they may; civil unrest, crimes, and wars seem never-ending and continue to draw ever closer to our doorstep.

The Bible is replete with examples where the situation often seemed hopeless, times when people put their faith in themselves or others. However, those who put their trust in the Lord found new strength, and that same strength is available to us today.

As I look back on years past, I can point to three specific devastating life-altering events. In each case, I asked God why, why did He allow that event to happen. That is the same question we see the prophet Habakkuk asking God as he witnesses violence and destruction in Judah. He asked, “How long, Lord, have I called for help, And You do not hear? I cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ Yet You do not save. Why do You make me see disaster, And make me look at destitution?” (Hab. 1:1-3).

In the end, Habakkuk learns that God will deal with evil, and He will one day rescue His people, which speaks to the Rapture of the Church as well as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Habakkuk realized that he must remain firm in His faith and trust that God’s plan will unfold in His perfect timing, in His perfect way, and according to His perfect will. When I look back on my life, I can now see how those three events caused my life’s course to shift, and all of which have brought me to where I am today.

If any of those events never happened, who knows where I would be now. I could have ended up being a career firefighter, a life-long sailor, unmarried without family, or worse, I could have long since been dead! I do know this, when we spend time looking back saying “what if…,” we miss the opportunity to look ahead and say, “what if…” when all things are possible.

Therefore, in these uncertain times in which we live, take hold of your faith in Jesus Christ and cling to it tightly. Be assured in the innermost recesses of your heart that God has a perfect plan in motion, one that is for the greater good of those who love and trust Him. God said, “For I know the plans that I have for you, plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11).

When we recall the number of times in life when we relied on ourselves and our own plans failed, what a joy it is to know that God has a perfect plan in place for each of us, and all we need to do is trust Him by faith and be obedient to His calling. Yep, it’s that simple!

^{Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.}

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