THE FAITH TO PERSEVERE

Perseverance means more than endurance— more than simply holding on until the end. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while, the saint says, “I can’t take any more.” Yet God pays no attention; He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Entrust yourself to God’s hands. Is there something in your life for which you need perseverance right now? Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the perseverance of faith. Proclaim as Job did, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).

Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. And even though you cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, you know Him. Disaster occurs in your life when you lack the mental composure that comes from establishing yourself on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the supreme effort of your life— throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God.

God ventured His all in Jesus Christ to save us, and now He wants us to venture our all with total abandoned confidence in Him. There are areas in our lives where that faith has not worked in us as yet— places still untouched by the life of God. There were none of those places in Jesus Christ’s life, and there are to be none in ours. Jesus prayed, “This is eternal life, that they may know You…” (John 17:3). The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we will take this view, life will become one great romance— a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time.

Think and Pray

The power to persevere is relative to our trust in God. When we’re tired, weak or defeated, we must proclaim to ourselves, “yet will I trust Him.” Despite our level of obedience or connectedness in any given moment, He is accomplishing His purpose in our lives.

Lord, I know that You are faithful and true. You are present with me in every moment, and You are actively at work in my life. Give me the strength to endure hardship with an unshakable confidence in Your promises. Let others see in me the hope I have in You. Amen.



Oswald Chambers was an early twentieth-century evangelist and teacher, best known for the devotional My Utmost for His Highest which continues to challenge and encourage people all over the world. You can find these daily devotionals at utmost.org or via the My Utmost mobile app.

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