Tag Archives: hang in there

Poor Elijah. He was alone in doing right. Entirely. Absolutely. And to make matters worse, “they” were hunting him so they could exterminate him.

Elijah was an endangered species. “They” were intent on changing the status of his kind to extinct.

“Lord…I am left alone, and they seek my life” (Romans 11:3).

Elijah was wrong, though, about being the only one left doing right.

But that’s not the lesson for me this morning.

Lesson: Even when it seems I’m the only one doing right, don’t quit.

Elijah could have quit doing right, but he didn’t!

I don’t want to stand alone, but if the only other alternative is to fall with the rest, no thanks!

So I purpose to carefully live my life according to God’s ways in every way.

Enough so to see the hand and heart of God in all things

This has been a week of adversity. Actually, that’s nothing new any more. Because of it, I’ve frequently felt grumpy and/or discouraged. Yet, scattered among those times and feelings, there have also been (fleeting?) times of normality and even “upbeatness.”

I awoke early this morning, fretting and stewing (and even praying) about last night’s dose of adversity.

So these verses from Proverbs 24 “clicked” a few minutes ago….

“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small” (10).

“A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength” (5).

“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…” (16).

“Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when stumbleth” (17).

“Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work” (29).

May I be strong in His grace. Strong enough to be anti-grumpy and anti-discouraged. Strong enough to return blessing when anti-blessing seems more fitting. Strong enough to see the hand and heart of God in all things. Strong enough to rise again. Strong enough to grieve and pray for anyone who stumbles. Strong enough to choose right responses…even when I really don’t want to.

Not there yet. Not quite.