“The Challenge to Patience” (Part Three)

This week we are seeing the need for patience—endurance through hard times. Yesterday we laid the groundwork for this type of patience and saw that, in a sense, “take courage” or “keep up your courage” is the biblical parallel to “hang in there.” So, the question is this… why does the Word challenge us to hang in there? Yesterday we saw the first three reasons, and today we add two more…

Hang In There- God Is In Control of our Futures

Acts 23:11 But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”

We may not know what the future holds, but He does—and He is worthy of our trust.

Hang In There- You Can Trust God’s Word

Ac 27:25 “Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.”

God’s Word is a reliable foundation to us, just as it was to Paul in his struggles.

Why is the fruit of the Spirit “patience”? Because God has called us to endure patiently as we trust Him and His Word. We are faced with challenges and hardships and disappointments and all kinds of tragedies in life. God’s call to us in it all? Be patient, hold on, hang in there—take courage! Why? Because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world! Isn’t that the essence of Hebrews 12:1?

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience/endurance the race that is set before us.”

Paul did (2 Tim.4)—he finished his course and endured all the way to the end. We can too, knowing that, at the end of the race, our Lord waits to declare, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Take courage! Endure patiently! Hang in there! He awaits us at the finish line.