Hold On!

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 NIV

In this season of depression and recession, it is difficult to preach or teach or believe the message of hope. Men  live by what they can see, feel, touch or taste. However, for all who have come to the saving knowledge of the God of hope, you just must have a different experience of what holding on means. When you come to God, you don't come expecting that all the problems are gone forever; in fact, some of them become seemingly bigger. You don't come thinking that Jesus is the magic wand of provision, set up to meet all your needs. That was not the principal reason why Christ was sent.

We are encouraged to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. The reason for the adverb is that there is a danger of falling away if you do not hold tightly or understand the reason why you have to hold on tightly. All around us, there are pressures to compromise and to give up, but the encouragement is that you have a faithful God in your corner. When all around you is sinking sand, God promises a stable ground for your feet.

Another reason why this charge is important is because there is no guarantee that you will ever get God to do things the way you expect. Did Stephen ever think that ' in spite of my holding on to God, here I am being stoned to death'. James the apostle was killed, nothing happened. John the Baptist was beheaded, nothing happened. Was it that God was losing touch, or was it that a bigger plan was unfolding? Dealing with God strips you of all sense of entitlement and makes it practically impossible for you to trust your instincts. God is the determinant of all that is called life and I can only enjoy the ride when I trust his wisdom and grace. He is faithful; that is an eternal truth. His time of favour is here.