“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,” Ephesians 6:18(NASB).
Perseverance is more than just waiting. It’s about how and why we wait. It’s the ability to stand and thrive under pressure. We often miss the undeniable work of God because we give up too soon. In many cases perseverance is the only thing that separates failure from success. Life is a gauntlet that requires determination! Have you noticed this?
There are times when we should close the chapter on a particular enterprise, but many other endeavors we should never give up on. You may wonder, ‘so how do you know the difference’? A general rule of thumb is simply to remember this:
Projects can be dispensed with; virtues are indispensable.
If we treat who we are becoming in Christ with the same attention as the things we hope to accomplish in our vocational life, we are destined for failure. It’s easier to replace a lost license than to regain our lost integrity. The wisdom of God comes like a gift, yet this gift is born out of the womb of perseverance! Wisdom is nurtured and formed in the crucible of life through trials and temptations. For wisdom to be forged properly in our hearts, it requires us to stand strong in the pressure cooker of life. God will give wisdom generously to all who ask (James 1:5), but that promise is preceded by a description of the journey we all must take:
“2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4 NIV)
This passage is profound for we learn that,
Perseverance is the necessary link to wisdom and maturity.
But what exactly is perseverance? In the Scriptures the same word can be translated as “endurance” or “patience.” When we HOLD OUT for the good to be revealed in a particular situation, perseverance is expressed as patience. When we HOLD ON to the good in any given circumstance, our perseverance is expressed as endurance.
To persevere requires wisdom in the process, and it also grows us in wisdom through the process. When we do not persevere, we do not grow in wisdom. Whenever God places us in circumstances where perseverance is critical, He is trying to birth wisdom in us. When we circumvent the process, it is a miscarriage of wisdom.
It is not surprising then, that one of the five crowns mentioned in the New Testament is given, at least in part, on account of a person persevering!
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).
As you pray in the Spirit today, persist in making your requests known to the Father through the blood of Jesus. Remember how much He values perseverance, and that you can know beyond any doubt that He is faithfully leading you…even amidst uncertainty.