Week 2: Persevering in the struggle

Hi Ladies,

Last week, I mentioned how I was thinking about perseverance in light of our theme of “Abide.” I want to take a few moments this week to show you just how powerful the connection is - literally and theologically! 

If you remember back to January or to our retreat, I shared that the most common word for “abide” in the original language of the New Testament (Greek) is the word meno (check out pronunciation and more by clicking on the word). It's a rich word that carries a complex meaning: to remain, to stay, to dwell, to continue. 

Well, the Greek word for “persevere” (or “endure”) is hypomeno. Do you see it?! This compound word literally means to remain under. And as you will see in the verses below, the contexts suggest remaining under difficult situations. We would expect this based on how we use the word today. You’d get raised eyebrows if you said to someone, “Keep persevering in your bliss!”  

But what hard things has God specifically called us to endure or to persevere in? 

Look at the following verses: 

- “And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt. 10:22).

- “Be patient in tribulation” (Rom. 12:12).

- “Remember Jesus Christ… for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:8-12).

- “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Heb. 12:1b-3).

- “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

- “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God” (1 Pet. 2:20).

In this sampling of verses (use Blue Letter Bible to read them all!), we see interconnected themes. God is calling us to endure or to persevere…

- in our Christian walk and verbal witness, despite others’ hatred

- in dire circumstances (tribulations, trials)

- in our own fight against sin and the burdens that weigh us down

Struggles within…struggles around…struggles with others… They all require us to remain under the hardship. We don’t like this! Endurance training is hard, both physically and spiritually. It asks us to push beyond what we think we can push. But this is the very thing that strengthens us. God in His perfections has designed it this way. Just as a loving father disciplines or trains his children in order to mature them, so our loving Father trains us (Heb. 12:5-10). And we echo the writer of Hebrews by acknowledging that “for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11).

The beautiful reality is that God has not simply called us to this and left us to figure out how to survive, but He has given us all we need to remain under the struggles. He’s not only given us Christ as our example - “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2) - but He's also given us His Spirit who abides within us, empowering us to persevere in the ongoing struggles. God never calls us to something that He does not provide for. And this is especially true of perseverance in this life! 

Let’s pray for one another this week, that we will persevere in the struggles within, around and even with each other, knowing that God is using these things to mature us and ready us for Christ’s return. ❤️🙏🏼

Anna