Be Spiritually Tenacious
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10a
Oswald Chambers begins one of his daily devotions featured in My Utmost for His Highest highlighting this verse. He goes on to encourage readers that God is steadfast and unchanging, and that we should be likewise.
Whatever crud you find yourself stuck in, the Lord promises that He will always be there to help you out. Admittedly, it is hard to let go of anxiety over possibly not having a job tomorrow or the fear that your health condition could get ten-times worse. God is still God, no matter what life looks like.
If we allow the situations in our lives to dictate our relationship with Him, then we are doomed from the get-go. Besides, He’s not looking for wishy-washy faith; what gets His attention is tenacious, pit-bull kind of faith.
Beyond Mere Persistence
Tenacious: stubborn, relentless, unshakable.
Be stubborn.
In Matthew 15:21-28, we read of a mother who begged Jesus for help. Initially, He refuses her, yet she continues pleading for her daughter.
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. Matthew 15:21-28 (NIV)
Her stubborn faith turned Christ’s heart toward her and her child, granting what the woman requested.
Be relentless.
The parable of the persistent widow’s story as accounted in Luke 18:1-5 illustrates how our determination can get us what we desire.
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!’” (NLT)
Even as the authority (the judge) stood against her, she never let go of her hope.
Be unshakable.
Samuel’s mother Hannah probably couldn’t have guessed that she’d bear a child, let alone one of the more influential prophets of the day. The despair she felt because of her physical barrenness could have crippled her faith. But, she continued to weep and pray for her miracle.
And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."
As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."
"Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."
Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him." 1 Samuel 1:11-17 (NIV)
Hold onto your faith with such a tenacity that you are unshakable when it comes to following Him, relentless in seeking His guidance, and stubbornly persistent in asking for His mercy to fill your life.
