Never Ever Give Up!
by Patricia Lake
When a young Christian recently telephoned me in frustration, with their life compared with others, the Lord reminded me of the above scripture. Does your journey seem long with no end in sight while you’re waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled in your life? Remember, God has the bigger picture and there’s always a reason why He permits the testings and trials that come our way.
The life of Joseph in the Old Testament is a perfect example. This is where faith and trust come in. If we understood absolutely everything at the outset, there would be no need to have faith in God, which is the very thing that pleases Him (Hebrews 11:6), and to trust Him for all that’s to come.
God gave Abraham the promise of a son, but, as the years passed, all hope of its fulfilment seemed gone. So, Abraham listened to the voice of his wife (Genesis 16:2) and decided to help God out with their own plans. The world has been witness to, and affected by, the consequences of that mistake ever since. But, in the fullness of time God fulfilled His promise to Abraham, Isaac was born, and the rest is history.
Maybe it seems that everyone else around you has what they want, while you’re still waiting. Remember, things are not always what they seem. Don’t make the mistake of comparing yourself with others. Your walk with the Lord is not theirs. We each have a personal journey to walk with the Lord, to heed what He says and go where He leads. In John’s gospel, when Peter asked Jesus about another disciple, Jesus virtually told him to mind his own business (in today’s language) and followed it up with ‘Follow thou me’ (John 21:21-22).
God’s timing is always perfect, unlike ours, which is why it is always wise to wait for Him. So, if you know of a certainty that you’ve heard from the Lord, but you’ve been waiting a long time, and you’re tempted to take things into your own hands to make things happen, wait. It’s a trap of the enemy to get you to take things out of the Lord’s hands. The enemy will want you to feel exasperated and to doubt God’s word so he can use his tool of disappointment to get you to give up.
Today’s verse is encouraging you to wait for the fulfilment of the promise and the reward that comes with it. Don’t allow the thief called ‘disappointment’ to rob you of your reward. God kept His promise to Joseph, Abraham and many others, and He will keep His promise to you. You won’t be disappointed.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Great is thy faithfulness. I’m sorry for the times in the past when I’ve allowed doubt to take the place of faith. Help me constantly to hold fast to Your word, as You’re not slack concerning Your promise and can do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Patricia Lake is now Ellel’s Representative in Curacao, in the Dutch West Indies, where she is now living, having served with Ellel Ministries as Peter Horrobin’s Secretary for almost 20 years. Prior to that she was in ministry in her local Pentecostal church in Birmingham, before feeling the call of God to serve in the healing and deliverance ministry at Ellel Grange in the northwest of England.
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