But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”
2 Chronicles 15:7
Lord Jesus, it is so easy to want to just give up. As problems bombard me on every side, as family issues and concerns rise up on the verge of eruption, as challenges confront me in the professional and communal spaces, as angst builds up within me on the precipice of bursting, I must confess that I often wonder is it really worth it? Pile up on top of it the enemy and my flesh whispering in my ear to just give up and throw in the towel, it is a formula for soul disaster!
Today I am reminded of the suffering that You endured, torture that would have any person longing just to die and get it over with. Many, had they known what was in store for them, would have taken their own lives not to go through it. But You did! You endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). Stripped naked, exposed to ridicule and shamed, You endured. The shame of it, not just the taunts, but the loss of human modesty and dignity – my mind cannot fully comprehend it. Frankly, that takes on a whole new meaning for me this morning. Knowing what Your suffering meant not only to us but to Your Father and the eternal establishment of His Kingdom, You stayed on that tree! You endured! How dare I even think of giving up!
Lord, as I put You first, I pray for a spirit of resolve. Things will come my way today that will attempt to shake me. I have no idea what is around the corner. But You do. You have given me Your Holy Spirit to prepare me for what is heading my way. Fuel my heart to stay the course, not wavering nor doubting, knowing Whose I am and what was done to bring me into the family. Help me to love as You love, give as You give, and serve as You serve. Remind me of Your abounding grace when I see so much going wrong in the world (Romans 5:20). I look to You, the Author and Finisher of my faith to continue the good work You are doing in me. I shall see it through to Your glory. There is no quit in me because You are in me! Amen!