STAYING POWER
18th Oct 2017
I had been reading James 5 in The Message and was struck with verse 13, where it says, “You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end.” One key element of faith is “staying power”.
James had chosen to use Job as his example of how we need patience and perseverance when experiencing trials and hard situations. Many people find it difficult to read through the book of Job with all the accusations of his friends, and all the tragedies and troubles that Job endured. However, he is the example of how to act in times of trouble, and when waiting for answers to prayer.
There are some key lessons; Job refused to blame God for his predicament or the troubles he was experiencing and when the going was at its toughest he was able to confidently declare, “I know that my Redeemer lives.....” (Job 19:25) When God stepped in at the end, Job says, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (42:2)
Hebrews 10:35-39 has the same message, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he has promised.” The heart of this message is that God is faithful to all His promises and loving towards all His children. The passage in Hebrews continues, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”
Now comes the great declaration, “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”
I also love the way James concludes his statement about Job and how it turned out for him, “That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.”
So just hang in there, God is with you and will bring you through.
by Charles Sibthorpe
