The Perseverance of Faith

Illustration: Howard Schultz and Starbucks coffee. He spent a year looking for investors and was rejected by 217 out of 242 of them before finally getting the seed money he needed. Currently, Starbucks is the largest coffee chain with 32,900 stores and about 349,000 employees. In 2019 they generated $21 billion in US sales alone; more than twice its closest competitor (Dunkin Donuts at $9.2 billion). None of this would have been possible if Howard Schultz would have given up.

(See https://craft.co/starbucks, https://comparecamp.com/starbucks-statistics/#TOC6, https://briankrice.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/howard-schultz-starbucks-founder-i-was-turned-down-by-217-of-the-242-investors-i-initially-talked-to/)

If a person could persevere for the sake of a cup of coffee, how much more should people of faith persevere for the sake of God’s blessing.

Hebrews 6:9–12 ESV

9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The letter of Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish believers who were facing persecution (cf. Hebrews 13:22). They were being tempted to turn away from faith in Jesus and following His way. They were considering going back to Judaism or their old way of living.

The writer encourages them and exhorts them to not stop seeking God and serving the saints in love. He challenges them to continue with the same intensity that they began with until the end. This was so that they would not become spiritually dull and indifferent (NLT). Instead, they were to follow the example of those who persevered.

Holy perseverance is marked by faith and patience. The end of that perseverance is possession of God’s promises.

There are seemingly constant pressures that are working on each of us. The goal of these things are to wear you down, make you spiritually sluggish and dull, and ultimately cause you to give up on your inheritance. But God has better things for you!

Lead Into Impossible Situations

One of the important figures of the book of Genesis is Jacob. He was born a twin, grabbing the heel of his brother Esau. His name, Jacob, means “supplanter” or “heel-grabber.” And he lived up to his name. He used deception to gain the inheritance of Esau as the first born and again to trick his father to bestowing upon him the blessing of the first born.

Later, he would fall in love with a woman named Rachel but would be deceived by her father during the marriage ceremony and instead marry her sister Leah. His deal was to work seven years for Rachel’s hand only to have Laban deceive him. Then, to marry Rachel, Jacob worked for seven more years.

After a while, God saw Jacob and the way he was treated. He blessed Jacob and he became a great shepherd. God inspired him to make a deal with Laban for a certain type of animal from the herd and in a short time, God took the wealth of Laban and gave it to Jacob. In Genesis 31:3, God tells him to return to the land of his fathers and to his family promising that He would be with him.

Jacob, Rachel, Leah and his children gathered all of their things and began to leave. Rachel stole the household idol after feeling rejected by her father for not giving them any inheritance (cf. Genesis 31:14-19). Laban pursued Jacob, and due to Rachel’s deception did not find the idol. Ultimately, Jacob and Laban made a covenant and each went their own way.

Along the way, Jacob encountered the angels of God. He then sent a message to his brother Esau, to let him know he was coming home. And the messengers returned saying that Esau was coming to meet him, with 100 men. For all he knew, his brother hated him because he stole the inheritance and blessing and wanted him dead. He was so fearful and wanted to placate his brother that he sent him gifts in phases to hopefully appease him.

The last night, he sent his family across the river and while he was alone, a Man came down and wrestled with him. Jacob fought back and it was revealed that God was that Man.

There are many lessons we can learn from the life of Jacob and one of them is that it is often God who leads us into impossible situations.

Jacob was sent among his fathers people to find a wife. This was God’s doing. And that lead to 14 years of laboring for Laban.

Jacob was told by God to go home, and that led to a confrontation with Laban.

And once Jacob was home, he would have to face his past and his brother Esau.

There was even a point where Jacob wrestled the Angel of the LORD Himself over his identity and purpose.

If you are following God there will be times that you will confront impossible situations. You will face challenges to your future blessing. You will face people who do not want you to move forward with God. And you will sometimes have to face your past.

No matter what the world, your flesh, or the devil offers you, you will have to persevere if you are going to walk in the blessing and purpose of God for your life.

The world, flesh, and devil are all opposed to God. If you are following Him, it means that you will face their resistance along the way.

We need to stand firm, persevere, and through faith and patience inherit the promises of God.

Persevere in Prayer

One key area that we need to persevere in is in the area of prayer.

Genesis 32:9–12 NKJV

9 Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies. 11 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. 12 For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

This actually is a good example of a model prayer.

Jacob points to God’s command - God it was You “who said to me, ‘Return...’”

Jacob recognizes the goodness of God and His blessing in his life - “all the mercies and all the truth which You have shown for Your servant”

Jacob makes his request to God, “Deliver me I pray”

Jacob reminds God of His promise - “For You said, ‘I will treat you well and make your descendants [a great] multitude.’”

If we are going to persevere in faith, we need to persevere in prayer. We must come confidently before the throne of grace. We remember how God has moved and anticipate that he will continue to be faithful to move as He has promised. We make our requests to God and His blessing flows to us.

But we must pray until we receive the answer.

300 Quotations for Preachers from the Modern Church Persistence and Patience in Prayer

It is not enough to begin to pray, nor to pray aright; nor is it enough to continue for a time to pray—but we must patiently, believingly continue in prayer until we obtain an answer. And further, we have not only to continue in prayer unto the end, but we have also to believe that God does hear us and will answer our prayers. Most frequently we fail in not continuing in prayer until the blessing is obtained, and in not expecting the blessing.

GEORGE MÜLLER

What did he know about persevering in prayer? Aside from raising 1,000,000 pounds for his ministry to orphans during his lifetime, he prayed every day for 5 specific friends beginning in November 1844.

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4585 Fifty-Two Years’ Prayer for the Last Man

After five years one of them came to Christ. In ten years, two more of them found peace in the same Saviour. He prayed on for twenty-five years, and the fourth man was saved. For the fifth he prayed until the time of his death, and this friend, too, came to Christ a few months afterwards.

For this latter friend, Mr. Mueller had prayed almost fifty-two years!

It may seem as though things are never going to change, or that the challenges in front of you are impossible. But with God all things are possible (cf. Luke 1:37). When God speaks and promises and declares a thing He watches over His word to perform it. Stand fast. Keep praying. Don’t stop until you see the reward of your perseverance in Jesus’ name!

Persevere in Practice

Prayer is one of the keys to perseverance and the other is to practice. In other words, we need to keep moving forward in obedience to the word of God.

Genesis 32:22–31 NKJV

22 And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. 24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” 27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” 31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.

Jacob began moving towards home and that meant toward his past and his brother.

And when he was alone he struggled with God. God actually came to him and wrestled with him. And yet he did not give up nor would he let go until God blessed him.

The result of his perseverance was that God changed him. He went from a supplanter to a prince. He did not take a position by cunning deception. God gave him one.

If he had stopped moving forward and stopped contending for what God had promised he would not have received the blessing that changed his life.

To quote George Müeller one more time, he said that it was the “fifteen minutes after” he said “Amen” was the most important part of his prayer. His stepping forward in faith and patiently trusting God to move was what allowed him to see God’s miracles and provision.

Conclusion

If we are going to persevere, we need to pray in faith and practice our faith. We need to not see obstacles as reasons to stop. We need to start seeing them as opportunities for God’s power and glory to be put on display.

God led Jacob into those impossible situations all so that they would work within him and produce a deep faith that would ultimately result in great blessing and redeemed purpose.

Maybe the challenges that we are facing as a church, country, person are being used by God to produce a greater good. We will not know until we determine to have the perseverance of faith.

Trust in God. Stand on His promises. Be unrelenting in prayer. Be purposeful in your obedience. Then, stand still and see the power of God released on your behalf.