Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord; that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. (James 5:11)
Okay . . . so you say you can’t take it anymore and you’re going to quit, throw in the towel, and say “hasta-la-bye-bye baby!” Yeah, you could do that but is that you with the Lord talking or you under pressure talking? How many times have we quit in our minds when the Lord has settled us down and given us the strength to go on? Oh, but you say, “This is the real deal now, brother. I just can’t take it anymore!”
Let me ask you a question. What is IT? You keep saying I can’t take IT. So what is “IT”? Are you saying you can’t take the situation, you can’t take the person, you can’t take the pressure . . . or what? All right, so you’ve now defined your IT. Now compare your IT to Job’s IT. Oh . . . you might say “I know where you’re headed and that’s not fair to compare me with Job!” Well, I’m just thinking about the above scripture from brother James. You know James, that “sock-it-to-you” saint. He said we would be blessed if we endured. Then he used Job as an example of one who was so beat up in life but kept going on.
Job might have quit a thousand times in his mind but he never actually quit. His wife told him to quit but he just didn’t do it. He had lost everything. He was completely demoralized and utterly discouraged but something kept him going. Forty-two long chapters to the book of Job because it was a long trial and Job had a lot to learn. But God is so patient with us and He gives patience for as long as we’ll need it. And you know the exciting thing about it? There is an end! And the end isn’t running away or trying to make it go away. It’s just giving IT to the Lord over and over again, knowing He is faithful and will bring about the conclusion we’re looking for.
The Lord is very compassionate and merciful, isn’t He? Hasn’t He been good? Don’t you think He’ll continue to be good? Instead of saying “I can’t take IT anymore!”, take IT to the Lord and watch the Lord grace you with endurance for all you have to face until He brings IT to an end. But watch out because Job in the end was doubly blessed. That’s right, he got “double for his trouble”. And you will, too, if you will turn to the Lord and receive from Him that daily strength to keep on keeping on! (Read Job 42).
Louie