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Keep going
When life gets tough and problems seem to be mounting up, we can feel like giving up on our faith. Perhaps we’ve been praying about something for ages, and God doesn’t seem to be working, the situation’s not improving – it might even be getting worse. In the Bible we see people come to God with heart-breaking circumstances, only for those circumstances to get worse. Jairus asked Jesus to heal his daughter, but while He was on His way, Jesus stopped to find out who had touched His robe. During that time, Jairus’ daughter died (you can read about it in Luke 8). And in John 11, we read how Mary and Martha sent for Jesus when their brother Lazarus was sick. But Jesus decided to wait a few days before going, and Lazarus died. But in both these situations, Jesus did a greater miracle than the people asking could have expected. He raised both from the dead. We might think that God’s forgotten about us, or just doesn’t care. But that’s not the truth. The circumstances we’re in might not look good, but He is still good. He loves us and wants to help us. But His ways may look different from the ones we’re expecting, and wanting. If we’re close to giving up on God because of our situations, we need to ask God for the strength to keep going. The psalmist wrote: ‘The Lord is the strength of my life’. He has the strength we need to face the things we’re going through. We need to hold on to the words in Isaiah 40: ‘He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength’ (Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV).
What Now?
If you’re close to giving up on God today, read Mark 9:24. Ask God to help you increase your belief, hope, and faith in Him.
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