James 5:11

We don’t know exactly what James’ readers were facing, but clearly it was tough for them to live as Christians. They needed to persevere. Amid all the temptations, distractions and persecution, they needed to hang in there for God.

Job is a classic illustration of this. Everything went catastrophically wrong for him. He lost his children, his possessions and his health. He had the indignity of being struck with boils and his wife, seeing him sitting in the dust, scratching at his sores, exclaimed, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). But he wouldn’t. He put up not only with his suffering but also with his hopeless companions, whose misguided thinking added another crushing layer to his agonies. However, he didn’t give up. He was confident in God and, in the end, God rewarded him generously.

We would love God to fix our difficult situations, and remove all our problems. But there are many times in life when God calls us simply to endure, promising to accompany us and strengthen us as we do so. William Carey was the father of the modern missionary movement. He went to India in 1793 and during his time there faced a succession of problems and setbacks, including a major fire that destroyed years of his work – but he kept going. He once said to his nephew: “If after my removal anyone should think it worth his while to write my life, I will give you a criterion by which you may judge its correctness. If he gives me credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly.
Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.”

Whatever we are facing today, God wants to us keep plodding on.

Question
What have you learned from those tough situations that you have had to endure?

Prayer
Thank you Lord that you will never leave or forsake me. Thank you that I can be sure that you will be right beside me, whatever I have to face. Amen

Released on 9 Mar 2024