Staying the Course
By Rassie Malherbe
We live in a storm. COVID-19 has brought about so much turmoil, uncertainty and change in 2020, we feel like a ship in the ocean being battered by the rain, the waves and the wind. At the same time many of us experience various personal challenges. Sometimes we can’t help to ask, will we make it?
A ship in a storm only survives by staying the course. When the crew shout, “We’re going under”, the captain replies, “If everybody remains at their post and do their job, we’ll make it. Stay the course, gentlemen!”
One who stayed the course no matter the cost was Jesus. In Mark 32-33 we read that to his disciples’ astonishment Jesus explained exactly what would happen to Him in Jerusalem, and still He kept going – to the place of his ultimate sacrifice, but also his greatest victory.
How do we stay the course in these trying times?
Cut out the noise – We are bombarded by all the bad news. But we are not from this world (John 17), so don’t let the world prescribe to us. We may control our environment by cutting out all the bad news which we in any case can’t do much about. Also, cut out the lies of the enemy that make problems appear bigger than the solutions God has. Make a deliberate choice to listen to God’s voice more than any other.
Accept the testing of our characters (Jam 1:2-4, Rom 5:3-4) — God never sets us up to fail, only to grow. He is not the author of our suffering, but He surely uses it for his purposes. That is why Joseph could tell his brothers, “What you intended for evil, God intended for good” (Gen 50:20). Let us pass the character tests we experience in these troubled times.
Thanksgiving, praise and worship (1 Thes 5:16-18, Phil 4:6) — this puts our hardship in perspective and builds our faith. By giving thanks, we take hold of the adverse situation with which the enemy wants to destroy us and we set it apart for God’s purposes. And so the very thing the enemy intends for our destruction becomes the thing by which we overcome. Praise and worship draw our eyes away from the storm to focus on God’s love, goodness and faithfulness as more real than the storm. It allows us into his presence: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise” (Ps 100:4). And then our faithful thanksgiving, praise and worship activate God’s power in us.
Stay connected to the Word and take hold of God’s promises — The Word is truth spoken for us and over us. More than a compass, the Word not only gives direction, it shows us our destination. There are as many promises of God as there are challenges. Just think of a few favourites: Lam 3:23 – His mercies are new every morning; Mat 11:28 – Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest; Jer 29:11 – I know what I plan for you, a hope and a future; Ps 2:8 – Ask of me the nations and I will give them to you; Mat 28:20 – I will be with you until the end of the age. Accept and cherish God’s promises in faith, take hold of them in trust until they abide in us, and act on them with expectation.
Revisit faith-building testimonies – Testimony means do it again! By telling one another our testimonies of God’s goodness and faithfulness, we build our faith, we inspire one another and we exalt the Lord – see for example Psalms 66, 78, 105, 126 and 145. By focusing on testimonies we create divine moments for God to do it again!
Keep our eyes on the end goal – In All Nations, we have a dream of God’s glory covering the earth. The storm of 2020 hasn’t changed that. By faithfully participating with Him in his mission, we stay connected to our destiny to be part of God’s glory.
God gave us what we needed to stay the course: Christ living inside of us! (Gal 2:20). On top of that, the Spirit is transforming us into His likeness! (2 Cor 3:18). We have everything we need to stay the course! Let us grab hold of Jesus and the Spirit as our saviour, leader, guide, friend, companion, protector, defender, encourager, and comforter. Then we’ll stay the course and pursue faithfully the calling He has on our lives.
(Inspired by Strengthen Yourself in the Lord by Bill Johnson)
