“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12
The Bible has a lot to say about the fruit of perseverance in a Christian’s life. There are many examples of those who persevered under trial and were later richly rewarded by God. Abraham, Joseph, Moses and Elisha were all rewarded for ‘hanging in there.’ So often people give up when they should have gone just a little bit longer in their trial. So often we can end up second best instead of winning.
An example that always inspires me is the discovery of Tutankhamen’s Tomb in Egypt by the explorer Howard Carter. He was an Archaeologist and Egyptologist, who was searching for an intact Pharaoh’s Tomb in the ‘Valley of the Kings.’ He started his search in 1909, and was being backed by Lord Carnavon to the tune of $2 million. There was a lot of dust, blood, sweat and tears as they kept finding tombs that had been emptied by grave robbers over the centuries. The dig was halted during World War 1 and nearly canned by the sponsor Lord Carnarvon. Carter persuaded him to allow him one more season in his quest. His perseverance paid off, for in 1922 they found Tutankhamen’s intact tomb, full of amazing treasures.
When they finally dug down to the sealed entrance door, Howard made a small opening and held a candle through the gloom to see what was there. When asked by Lord Carnarvon what he could see, Howard Carter replied with these famous words. “I see Wonderful Things.” The tomb was filled amazing riches that the modern world had never seen before, hidden for over 3200 years from human eyes. It took 10 years to meticulously bring all the treasures out of the tomb and have them itemised. This story is a great example of the reward that comes to those who persevere. Howard Carter became a famous name around the world back then, and fired up the imaginations of story tellers ever since. All the ‘Indiana Jones Series’,‘ The Mummy’, plus the National Treasure movies were inspired by Carter’s find.
It doesn’t always end well for those who are not followers of Jesus though, as Howard Carter had to give all the treasures he found to the Egyptian Museum. He died at 64 from Hodgkin’s Disease with only a meagre estate worth £2002. He never did marry and sadly hardly anyone attended his funeral.
For Christians it’s a different story, for we are promised a reward not only in this life but the next if we persevere.
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Heb 10:35
The Lord doesn’t only promise us a reward when we get to heaven one day, but in this life He encourages us to not give up and hold onto our dreams, for there is a great reward ahead. This is especially true if something is written in the word for us to believe in. The whole process of enduring under trial is designed to change us into someone that is stronger in character and more like Jesus.
When you see something in the word, and believe that it is true, it will always be challenged by Satan. I think of the whole area of communion and what Jesus offers for us there as a good example. Not only does He offer us forgiveness of our sins but healing of our bodies. We may see this truth at first and start off taking communion believing for healing but soon give up as nothing seems to be happening. We need to persevere regardless of the circumstances. “Let God be true and every man a liar.”
I remember reading testimonies of men and woman used in great Healing Ministries. A couple of them said that when they first started on this track people died. They had to make a decision to believe God at His word or give up and say that healing isn’t for today. They persevered however and were greatly rewarded, and so were many sick people around the world.
Another great example of someone who persevered, was the famous American Inventor, Thomas Edison. He is accredited with inventing a device that generated electric power, along with the electric light bulb to name a few. A newspaper reporter once said to Edison that he had failed 1000 times in producing the electric light bulb. His response was - no, the invention of the light bulb was a 1000 step process. Edison said that the difference between a winner and a loser is, a winner gets up one more time. The whole world can now see a lot better because of his perseverance.
Sir Winston Churchill, who was the Prime Minister of England during WW2, encouraged the people to keep going and not give up. He once said that ‘Success is going from one failure to another without losing your enthusiasm.’ He is an example of one who persevered under trial.
It’s said that 40% of people have a great idea and all they do is talk about it. Another 40% work hard and would give their all to have a great dream, but don’t have one. 20% have a dream with the faith and perseverance to make it come true.
Persistence is based on character, and character does what's right - not what's easy. It's controlled by values - not moods. It looks for solutions - not excuses. The famous writer Rudyard Kipling wrote, "If you don't get what you want, it's a sign that either you didn't want it seriously enough, or that you tried to bargain over the price." How badly do you want to fulfill your purpose in life? It will take passion on your part to do it, and passion is what will feed your persistence. God’s word for you is "run with perseverance the race marked out for you!"
I remember hearing a testimony by a Christian man who owned a plot of land out of town, and he had to get his water from the council which cost him a lot of money every month. He hired a borehole company to sink a hole, which was very expensive. They drilled to the depth that usually brings results but found nothing. They told him there was no water there and that he was wasting his time. After a few more months of high water bills he decided to try again, as in his spirit he felt there was water. They drilled deeper this time but still came up with nothing and the ‘Experts’ told him there was definitely nothing there. The man told them to keep going and a few inches deeper they struck water. His big water bills were now over. His treasure was just a few inches away.
I was watching a documentary called ‘Aussie Gold Hunters’ one day, where 2 men were exploring where old time miners had been digging for gold a century earlier. They brought in modern equipment this time and dug out the ground next to an old pit. With the help of a metal detector they found a chunk of gold worth $200,000. The amazing thing was that it was just a few feet below where the old timers had been digging years before. If those miners hadn’t stopped digging back then, they would have found it. They gave up and abandoned the mine, but all it needed was a few inches more. Just a few more shovel fulls of dirt. We can also give up too soon when we are about to break though into a whole new realm of understanding and blessing, far greater than King Tutankhamen’s treasure or even King Solomon’s mines.
The difference between winners and losers is; winners see failure as a temporary setback. They've learned to look beyond it, whereas losers see failure as permanent. Each time a winner gets knocked down, 'they ... get up again' Proverbs 24:16 NLT.
There's an old adage that says, 'In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength but through perseverance.' It's when faithfulness is most difficult that it's the most necessary. As author John Mason observes, 'The secret to success is to start from scratch - and keep on scratching!'
If Namaan the Syrian had only dipped in the River Jordan 6 times, he would not have been healed of his leprosy.
Something that is capturing the world’s attention at present is man’s landing a drone on Mars. They have rightly called the craft ‘Perseverance.’ It’s sending back images that are in high definition and we are seeing things that have never been seen before by man.
They have also successfully launched a small helicopter on Mars with a fragment of material inside that was used to make man’s first manned flight in 1903 in the ‘Flyer One.’
This amazing feat has taken far more than the 7 months it took to get the craft to Mars. It has taken 1000s of years of persevering to get to this place in time. Many men have tried to fly since the dawn of time but in 1904 the Wright Brothers achieved it at Kittyhawk. Things have progressed a lot since then, but it would not have been possible without Thomas Edison's inventing of a device that generated electricity. It has progressed now to solar power and LED lighting, and it all came about with men like him who persevered and pursued their dreams.
We all know now about the Wright Brothers - these two humble bicycle mechanics who pioneered the first air plane flight. Yet there was another man called Dr. Samuel P Langley, a brilliant scientist who'd written volumes on the subject. He was expected to do it before them. However, when Langley tried to fly his first plane, it crashed and the press labeled it "a ridiculous fiasco.' But he ignored their criticism and stayed at it. Two months later when he tried again, the plane plunged upside-down into a river, and the pilot almost drowned. This time the New York Times labeled it "Langley's Folly," and said he should give up. Langley did! Unable to bounce back, he gave up his life's dream without ever seeing one of his planes in the air. Nine days later, Orville and Wilbur Wright, with no education and no funds, flew their plane, 'Flyer One', over the sands of Kittyhawk and into the history books. Sadly, while most of the world today has heard of the Wright Brothers, Langley is almost unknown because he didn’t persevere.
Another great example of this type of perseverance is in the life of Elisha. He was a servant of Elijah and had seen amazing miracles done by the Prophet. When he was told by Elijah the Prophet that he was going to be taken away by God, Elisha said that he wouldn’t leave his side. Many times Elijah told him to turn back, but Elisha said no. Finally Elijah asked him what he wanted before he was taken from the planet, and Elisha said that he wanted a double portion of the Spirit that was upon him.
“Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.” 2 Kings 2:9-10
He was granted his request, but could have easily given up. He didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. There is no record of Elisha doing anything miraculous up until this special day. He dedicated himself to being a servant of Elijah up until this time. One minute he didn’t have anything and the next minute he had a double portion, and all because he was faithful and persevered.
The reward that God offers us isn’t for the faint hearted. If you give up there is nothing the Lord can do for you anymore. You will still get to heaven, but you could miss out on His best for your life.
Your blessing, your dream, could be just one day away, one meter away, one dip more away, one more scratch away. Keep going.
I believe God is wanting to raise up a people in these Last Days who do the works that Jesus did and even greater things, but it will not come easy. Are you willing to pay the price and persevere?
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” John 14:12