The older I get, the more I understand and appreciate the power and victory in Paul's declaration of faith found in 2 Tim. 4:7 :
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
I confess to experiencing difficulty keeping the faith and running the race at certain times in my life. When things don't seem to want to fall in line, according to plan or purpose or desire, or I experience a tribulation that is particularly hard to bear, or an unexpected hurdle suddenly looms on the way - when I try to live to His glory and be everything that God would want from me and yet, and yet, for some reason the attacks seem to fly from all directions... then it is sometimes tempting to think of giving up the struggle, of slowing down on the course, of just sighing: "I give up..." But then, thank God, the next minute, or hour, or day, I find new strength to carry on...and I know that He carried me through the difficult phase... again.
Do you have similar thoughts at times?
Maybe you were sexually molested as a child; maybe physically and/or emotionally abused by a parent or a spouse...
Maybe you were raped and maybe you even contracted HIV as a consequence! Maybe you fell pregnant as a result of the rape and had an abortion, or gave birth to an HIV positive baby.
Maybe you were robbed.
Perhaps your house was broken into; maybe you were hijacked and lost your car. Maybe you were involved in a car accident and your car was written off - maybe your car was not even insured.
Perhaps you failed an important examination and as a result your plans for the future had to be shelved, or amended, or postponed. Perhaps you did not have the finances to complete your studies and pursue your dreams...
Perhaps you have known the disappointment of not being good enough to be chosen for the National Football team... or for the Springboks...
Maybe the love of your life found someone new and left you with a broken heart. Maybe your loved one died just before your wedding day, or worse, on your wedding day...
Maybe you fell in love or developed nurturing feeling for somebody already married which you found difficult to fight and overcome.
Maybe your health is poorly. Maybe you were involved in a freak accident and as a result lost a limb, or the use of your limbs; maybe you are now paralyzed - confined to a wheelchair or your bed.
Perhaps you have suffered rejection and have felt unwanted and unloved all your life; maybe because of a physical handicap.
Maybe you are struggling to overcome an alcohol or drug addiciton.
Maybe your marriage has ended in the divorce court.
Maybe your husband passed away.
Maybe you are a single parent trying to raise your children and hold down a fulltime job at the same time.
Maybe you have to watch a loved one suffer from a terminal disease.
Maybe one or more of your children have passed away.
Maybe you were unable to have any children...
Maybe your house burnt down with all your worldly possessions and precious memoirs of life in it.
Maybe you suffer financial constraints and have to make do with the barest necessities of life.
Any one or more of the above could happen to any one person! I have certainly experienced at least some of the above trials and tribulations myself. There are very few people who can say their lives have been disaster free experiences.
The apostle Paul did not utter the quoted words lightly. Running the race did not come easy even to him. Let us have a look at some of the trials in his life:
"From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was
beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and
a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the
city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often.
In cold and nakedness - besides the other things, what comes upon me daily, my
deep concern for all the churches... In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the
king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest
me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped
from his hands." 2 Cor. 11:22-28,32
Now disasters may befall us while we are living our everyday lives, but they happened to Paul whilst he was travelling and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Ironically, when Paul was actively persecuting the early Christians, none of these perils befell him. No, he was revered and honoured as a righteous man of the church, a Pharisee!
Yet, Paul was not discouraged:
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?
Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the
prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but
we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: Not with uncertainty. Thus
I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into
subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become
unqualified." 1 Cor. 9:24-27
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us." Heb. 12:1
"...saying that chain and tribulations await me, but none of these things move me,
nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and
the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the
grace of God." Acts 20:24
"...Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things
which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:12-14
Jesus talks to his disciples about the end times and the tribulations that they may expect, and says the following:
"But hold fast what you have till I come. To him who overcomes, and keeps my
words until the end, to him I will give power over the nations. He shall rule them
with a rod of iron. They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels."
Rev. 2:25
"Because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the
hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on
the earth." Rev. 4:10
Because we are mere mortals, our thoughts and efforts are mostly concerned with this life, often avoiding or disregarding thoughts of eternity. Recently, recalling a particularly trying tribulation experienced quite early in my lifetime, I pondered what God could possibly still have in store for me during this life that would require my having had to learn from that particular experience. In my spirit I heard the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit asking: "Do you think you are being prepared for life this side of the grave only?"
Let us take courage from the Word. God knows, understands, loves and cares for us. He will see us through. He sees your struggles, the attacks launched against you... Let us persevere, run the race, keep the faith:
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High
Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted
as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:14-15
Herein, perhaps, lies part of the answer why we have to experience these trials:
"...and find grace to help in time of need."
Maybe we can be of comfort or help to someone going through a similar tribulation? Be a friend to the friendless, be a companion to the lonely...
Thank You, Lord, that it does not matter what we are experiencing, who or whatever may be the cause and for whatever reason. Thank You that we may come boldly to you for help in time of need, during perils and tribulations, knowing that You understand and see our hearts and minds and sympathize with and intercede and fight the battle on our behalf.
Thank You for the many promises to those who persevere and complete the race on the track mapped out for us.
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