“For you have need of patience (endurance), that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:36
Dear Ones:
After the Lord had called Gideon to deliver Israel, there came a significant battle where the enemy was routed. Gideon and his three hundred men were in necessary pursuit, but their strength was waning. Scripture tells us that, “….Gideon came to the Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing.” (Judges 8:4) Here is a man with his men, to whom God had given a great victory. But there needed to be a wrapping up of the victory. If Israel would know peace for years to come, the enemies had to be pursued, captured or destroyed. Was it worth it to go on? Fatigue and weariness had set in, and I’m sure that in the minds of some of the men, there was the “thought” of relenting concerning the pursuit. But Gideon had a mission, and “…he had need of endurance (perseverance).” It was not something he felt like doing, or perhaps, even thought he might be lacking in resources to do. He did it because he was devoted to God, and relied on His faithfulness to complete the mission.
There are many kinds of what we call “patient endurance.” One is that quiet resolve under the pressure of responsibilities in the present moment. Another, might be that endurance, persevering in pain or suffering. The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us concerning the Lord Jesus, “…for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. (Heb. 12:2) In the next verse we read, “…For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (v.3) The same endurance is applied to both instances, one, in the midst of mortal pain, and the other, in the midst of opposition from unbelievers. The fact was that he overcame, and so should we. How? In looking to Jesus…
First, we see in the Lord Jesus a clarity of commitment. It was not first and foremost the commitment to a mission, but to the Person of His Father. He lived to please His Father. Everything flowed from this resolved, clear conviction that was the basis for all else. The second thing we see in the Lord Jesus is a total trust, reliance upon, and dependence upon His Father by the Spirit. His was a perfect faith in a perfect Father. Thus, He was able to receive from the Father all that He needed (strength, wisdom, love, peace, guidance…determination, everything…) from His Father for any and every circumstance, in particular as it related to the doing of His Father’s will, accomplishing His mission. What we need to see is that we are called to commitment, commitment to the person of Christ. Secondly, that He will supply ALL of our need. And thirdly, we need to trust Him to reveal to us His will, bringing us into conformity with that will and purpose. Then, we shall know what it means to overcome, for His pleasure and glory.
Dear Father, grant us to see as the Lord Jesus did, be committed to Him, and absolutely dependent upon Him for our hourly need. Thrill us with the certainty and conviction of Thy presence and provision, and lead us in a plain path. Then, with full assurance of faith, by Thy grace, we shall overcome the obstacles and difficulties of life, to do the will of God for Thy glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad