Don’t give up

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9 ESV).  The Lord has used this verse many times, especially in the first few years of ordained ministry, which were hard, to help me  just  to keep going in the work to which He had called me—to persevere no matter what.  I had written down the words “don’t give up” in my day-timer as they had come to me in a time of prayer.  Many times the challenges of ministry, difficult relationships, lack of support and even opposition from church authorities, spiritual warfare in various forms, and a sense of opposition to the movement of the Holy Spirit made it hard to continue. I was tempted to pack it in—to leave the post God had assigned me.

After having written down the short phrase “don’t give up”, I found it in scripture in Galatians 6:9 as quoted above.  Just those last few words of the whole verse had been given to me.  That was the nugget of what I needed to hear.  God often makes things uncomplicated and gets right to the heart of the matter!  At a later point it helped me to have the words in context and to confirm that I had indeed heard from Him.  God always confirms His Word!   As the Lord said to Jeremiah, He says to us “I am watching over my word to perform it” (see Jeremiah 1:12).

We may be tempted to give up in many different ways. We may be tempted to give up on being faithful to continue in the work God has called us to.  God encouraged me to continue, not just by rote but in hope of His miraculous intervention.  Many wonderful things indeed happened throughout all the years of life and ministry.  There were many ways both dramatic and subtle that God showed His power and grace to intervene in the lives of people.  I would have missed all these if I had given up.

Often, in the face of disappointments, we are tempted to give up hope and to grow weary of praying for something that seems intractable and never seems to get much better and even grows worse.  This happened to me this week. The Lord reminded me, as He has done many times, that things often get worse before they get better for various reasons.  One reason is that sometimes someone has to recognize the consequences of their actions or lifestyle before they can really receive God’s help.  But whatever the reason things get worse, they often get worse just before a breakthrough.   When we are most tempted to give up, that is when we most need to persevere in hope and prayer and sometimes fasting in some form.  As we enter a New Year, the year of our Lord 2011, let us remember that God has good plans for us, to give us hope and a future for us and the loved ones we hold up in expectant prayer (see Jeremiah 29:11).  We will reap a harvest in due season as we choose not to give up. 

In this Christmas season of God’s love, may the Lord give us all grace to receive all the blessings He is pouring out in this New Year.

Greg

P.S. I felt the Lord say to me this week that He has seen the tears of his people and has come down to help us (see Exodus 3:7-8).  The following song has ministered the truth to me that He comes to save His people in every trial and temptation.  (The visuals are from “the Passion of the Christ” so if you find this too difficult to watch, you may just want to shrink the screen and listen).

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