Day 22: Persistence Power

Reading: Psalm 13:1-6

As David continues to struggle through life, we see the persistence he keeps as he continues to hope and trust in the Lord. He continually cries out to Him, waiting patiently on His rescue. Even though he continues to wait, day after day for God to show up and rescue him, he keeps faith that He will.
We also read that David rejoices in the Lord and His rescue and unfailing love.
As we ponder David's never-ending struggles, we can find our own hope through them. When we seem to face the same story everyday and wallow in our hardship, we can hold on to the same hope and worship that David presents here. We can continually call out to God to come and show us a way out, and to rescue us, yet worship and praise Him for His unfailing love. We all have something in our lives that nags or keeps eating at us day after day, or week after week, or maybe even month after month. Whether it be finances, jobs, health, relationships, etc., God can pull you through it. Just have the persistence of David and keep crying out to God.

What is something that has been a nagging struggle in your life?



Have you brought this problem to God as persistently as David did?




Reading: Matthew 15:10-39

We read many instances of persistence here, and we can learn to be persistent in these things as well.
First we read about Jesus teaching us to have pure and clean hearts and mouths. What is in our hearts will come out of our mouths. It is important to keep ourselves clean and pure in our thoughts and in our hearts. This can be hard, as we always focus on keeping our actions and words pure, but our thought-lives are probably the bigger part of this cycle. Our thoughts taint the rest of our being, because that is truly what is in our hearts.
Be persistent in checking your thoughts and heart.
We also read about a very persistent Canaanite woman, begging Jesus to heal her daughter. Though, at first, Jesus didn't respond to her, she continued to ask Him and worship Him. Even the disciples threatened to have her sent away, but Jesus sees her faith, and tells her that her daughter has been healed because of her faith.
Be persistent in prayer and asking God for healing and needs.
Finally, we read about Jesus feeding 4000 men, plus women and children on seven loaves of bread and a few fish. Jesus is persistent in compassion, and making sure the people get fed. He sees to it that they are taken care of. In creation a miracle, He feeds them all with left overs! Jesus cares deeply for the poor, the hungry and those in need. He asks us to do the same.
Be persistent in compassion.

Which of these areas could you use work in when it comes to being persistent? (Keeping your thoughts/hearts in check, prayer for healing/needs, compassion for the needy.)




When has someone in your life displayed amazing persistence and faith?




Reading: Genesis 43:1-44:34

The story of Joseph and his family continues to unfold in more cliffhangers and more ups and downs. This time, Joseph's father, Jacob has to put his trust in God and allow his youngest son, Benjamin to go to Egypt with his brothers in order to get food. Jacob must have felt so much anguish in losing Joseph, then Simeon, and now Benjamin, but he keeps persisting in trust and faith that God will work things out. We also see that Joseph is just as persistent in keeping his brothers close. And as we keep reading, we'll see God's magnificent plan and timing play out.
How many times have you felt the ups and downs of life, causing you anguish and grief, wondering when it would ever end? Though this may seem like an incredible amount of torture, we can trust like Joseph and Jacob have and wait for God's timing and plan to come out. Waiting and enduring can be hard in times of the unknown, but we see God's faithfulness as it comes to completion.
Be persistent in hoping and trusting in God's timing and plan. He always has one that will be worth it in the end.

Are you in the middle of an up and down battle? What are you doing to put your trust and hope in God's timing through it?




Would you be able to let something important to you go, and trust that God will take care of it? Have you before?





Persistence can be exhausting, especially if much of your time is dealing with life's ups and downs. We need to be persistent in our faith lives though. When struggles hit us, we need to be persistent in prayer, hope and trust, praising God for His unfailing love. We need to be persistent in keeping our lives whole and pure for Him, as well as showing compassion for those in need around us. God wants us to come to Him with our needs and to serve Him fully. Keep the faith and keep hoping.