DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE FOG

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV)

Don’t make the mistake of Florence Chadwick.  In 1952 she attempted to swim the chilly ocean waters between Catalina Island and the California shore.  She swam through foggy weather and choppy seas for fifteen hours.  Her muscles began to cramp, and her resolve weakened.  She begged to be taken out of the water, but her mother, riding in a boat alongside, urged her not to give up.  She kept trying but grew exhausted and stopped swimming.  Aids lifted her out of the water and into the boat.  They paddled a few more minutes, the mist broke, and she discovered the shore was less than a half mile away.  “All I could see was the fog,” she explained at a news conference.  “I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.”

Take a long look at the shore that awaits you.  Don’t be fooled by the fog...  The finish may be only strokes away.  God may be, at this moment, lifting his hand to signal Gabriel to grab the trumpet.  Angels may be assembling, saints gathering, demons trembling.  Stay at it!  Stay in the water.  Stay in the race.  Stay in the fight.  Give grace, one more time.  Be generous, one more time.  Teach one more class, encourage one more soul, swim one more stroke. 

-- Max Lucado in “Facing Your Giants”

#6436

PERSISTENT IN PRAYER

One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” He said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.  A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”  (Luke 18:1-5 NLT)

The parable of the persistent widow is one of the most pixilated pictures of prayer in Scripture.  It shows us what praying hard looks like: knocking until your knuckles are raw, crying out until your voice is lost, pleading until your tears run dry.  Praying hard is praying through.  And if you pray through, God will come through.  But it will be God’s will, God’s way.

The phrase used to describe the widow’s persistence, “she is wearing me out,” is boxing terminology.  Praying hard is going twelve rounds with God.  A heavyweight prayer bout with God Almighty can be excruciating and exhausting, but that is how the greatest prayer victories are won.  Praying hard is more than words; it’s blood, sweat, and tears.  Praying hard is two-dimensional: praying like it depends on God, and working like it depends on you.  It’s praying until God answers, no matter how long it takes.  It’s doing whatever it takes to show God you’re serious. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Circle Maker”

#5588

A MOTHER'S PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER

The story is told of Monica, the mother of St. Augustine.  This fourth-century woman had a son who was so perverse that almost anyone else's child would have been considered to be no problem at all in comparison.  But through Augustine's difficult years of rebellion, Monica never stopped praying for her son and she lived for the time when he might give his life over to God.

One day, Augustine announced to his mother that he was leaving his home in the city of Hippo to live in Rome.  He wanted to go to the big city where the action was, and he let it be known that Hippo was no place for a lover of nightlife, like himself.  When she heard the news, Monica's heart broke.  She was sure that by going away to Rome her son would be lost to her and to God forever.  She begged Augustine not to do this and, in an act of desperation, pleaded with him to go and sit with her in the church while she prayed about it.  He yielded to his mother's request that he go to church with her, but while Monica was on her knees in prayer, Augustine sneaked off to the harbor and boarded a ship sailing for Rome.  When Monica discovered what had happened, she was deeply hurt, but she never despaired; she just kept on hoping and praying.

While in Rome, Augustine quite miraculously came to Christ through the witness of St. Ambrose.  Under Ambrose, he was nurtured into Christian discipleship, and when it was learned that the city of Hippo needed a new bishop to lead their church, Ambrose recommended the once wayward son of that town for the office.

Can you imagine the surprise and joyful amazement of Monica the day she went down to the dock with others from her church to meet their new pastor?  None other than her own Augustine walked down the gangplank!  The mother who never gave up on her son had been rewarded.  Monica's story is a reminder to mothers everywhere that where there's life, there's hope.  It may be that, even when the life of your loved one is ended, there is still hope. 

-- Tony Campolo in “Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God” 

#5035

A MASTERPIECE OF GOD’S GRACE

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”  (Ephesians 2:10)

When an artist starts to create a sculpture, he has to keep chipping away. He doesn't hit the chisel with a hammer once, and suddenly all the excess stone falls away revealing a beautiful masterpiece. He keeps hitting it and hitting it, chipping away at the stone.

And that's true of life, too. Nothing really worthwhile ever comes easy in life. You keep hitting it and going after it, and little-by-little your life becomes a masterpiece of God's grace. 

-- Rick Warren in “The Purpose Driven Connection Daily Devotional”

#4873

PERSEVERING IN DISCIPLESHIP

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."  (Hebrews 10:36)

Perseverance does not mean “perfect.” It means that we keep going. We do not quit when we find that we are not yet mature and that there is a long journey still before us.

For perseverance is not resignation, putting up with things the way they are, staying in the same old rut year after year after year, or being a doormat for people to wipe their feet on. Endurance is not a desperate hanging on but a traveling from strength to strength. There is nothing fatigued or humdrum in Isaiah, nothing-flatfooted in Jesus, nothing jejune in Paul. Perseverance is triumphant and alive.

-- Eugene H. Peterson in “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction”


#4714

TAKING TIME TO PRAY

“Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God.”  (Colossians 4:2 GNT)

The great people of the earth are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; not those who can explain about prayer, but I mean those people who take time and pray. They have not time. It must be taken from something else. This something else is important -- very important and pressing, but still less important than prayer.

-- S. D. Gordon, quoted in “Growing Strong in God’s Family: A Course in Personal Discipleship to Strengthen Your Walk with God”


#4683