If we truly trusted God with our hearts, then we would persevere. We wouldn’t worry or complain about our current circumstances. We wouldn’t believe the lies we tell ourselves.
If we truly trusted God’s faithfulness, then we would live in complete peace, knowing God is in control. Anxiety wouldn’t take hold of us.
Even after God heard Moses’ excuses and gave him solutions, Moses quickly got discouraged and focused on what he couldn’t do instead of what God was capable of doing. Of course, Moses had a huge task standing before Pharaoh, but we can see how he tried to turn away from his calling.
When Moses saw that Pharaoh and the Israelites did not want to come out of Egypt, he wanted to quit the entire operation. The rejections from both sides were enough to stop him from believing in God’s promise.
Moses had a tendency to place his eyes and reasoning in the circumstances that were happening around him. He probably thought to himself, oh well, I tried, but they didn’t listen to me, so that’s the end of it. The Israelites didn’t listen to Moses, as they were too afflicted to believe that God had better plans for them.
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.’ But Moses said to the Lord, ‘If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?’”
Exodus 6:10-12
Now, let’s not blame Moses because we would have done the same thing. In the face of adversity, who wants to keep going when you keep experiencing rejection?
Although Moses wanted to give up, God’s plans did not end there.
God calls us to persevere
The story of Moses shows us how God wants us to persevere. God pushes us to keep going because he already knows the outcome, but it takes our obedience to get there.
In the Oxford Dictionary, perseverance means to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.
Whether we persevere in sharing our faith with people who haven’t recognized Jesus as their savior, or in other areas God has called us to, God wants us to keep going.
Hebrews 12:1 says: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Let’s keep going. Our life is a race God has called us to run. It’s an assignment we are called to complete.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7
It may seem hard at moments, but God promises that if we keep going, it will all be worth it.
James 1:12 says: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
Just like Moses persevered when he saw the impossible in front of him, so will we persevere. Because the same God that was with Moses is the same God that is with us.
God’s faithfulness
In order to keep going, we must trust God’s faithfulness. Even when things don’t align, let’s believe that God keeps his word – because he does!
“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
Number 23:19
God calls us to keep moving forward. Just like in the story of Moses, our obedience is the answer to someone’s cry, and it’s also a fulfillment of God’s covenant for his people.
We must remember that others have lost hope in God, and God wants to remind them of His love. So if God calls us to walk in boldness like Moses, let’s remember that it may not be comfortable, but it will be worth it because God will be with us.
Psalm 33:4 says, “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.”
Prayer to persevere
Dear God, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you. Forgive me for the times I’ve wanted to give up. I ask you to fill me with your favor and grace to keep going. When circumstances get hard, help me to put my eyes on you. I surrender to you and ask you to arm me with the courage to do your will and not my own. In the name of Jesus, Amen.