Keep at it!

Keep at It! 

Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2 AMPC

Context:

The letter to the church in Colosse was written by both Paul and Timothy, one a mentor and the other one the protégé, a young boy brought up in the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ, and taught the principles of God's Word. As I walk this walk and run this race of faith, who am I following up in the way of Christ? I have now come to know Christ, but am I all about what I can get, not minding who gets hurt? Is it all about just my own  interests alone and no one else's? 

The letter is addressed to the saints and faithful brethren in the church at Colosse; not to the crowd of onlookers, or people who just want to belong, but to those who have made the decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. This matters a lot: not everyone considers the Word of God as attractive or convenient; we love words and things that make us comfortable, but God's ultimate goal for us is not earthly comfort but a life that is prepared for eternity. All that he commands is to make us fit for service down here and also fit for service in his Kingdom. Today's extract addresses some of the things that will be required from those who seek this level of commitment. 

Message and Response:

As long as I think that the work of God in my hands can be done in my own wisdom, strength, vigour and foresight, I do not need God. As long as I can conjure up the many resources I think I need to be able to 'succeed' at the work of the ministry, I would not seek help. Unfortunately, God's work is such that the things I need to carry it out cannot be found in and by myself; I need the help of the One who commissions a man for the assignment ahead. He is the One who knows what the job entails, and he is the One who can make all the resources available. It is called PRO-VISION because what God provides is FOR (pro) the VISION He himself has birthed and will sustain, not what I have defined as my own terms of reference.

How do I then seek God's view if I do not pray? How do I seek current information for the dynamic nature of God's work if I am not in tune with today's demand? With God's work, what worked yesterday has no guarantee of success today because God will never let me get too comfortable that I will think I got him all figured out. I recall the war Israel had to fight. One day, God asked David to go by a particular route against the Philistines. He obeyed and defeated them. The Philistines came again and David had to go back to God. This time, God prepared another route. Imagine if yesterday's success was the template David used to engage the Philistines the second time.

The words used: earnest, unwearied, steadfast show that it will not always be easy. If it were, these words will not be used. How do I remain earnest if the first time I ask for something, I get it? If I do not learn patience and perseverance, how do I stand in the day of delay and trouble? Being steadfast means keeping at it even when nothing around me makes sense or looks like it is working. I don't get to just do it haphazardly; it has to be done the right way, with the right attitude and to the right person. I don't do it for show; I do it because i know who I am talking to. I don't do it to exert pressure on God; I do it with a heart of fear and reverence. 

I am to remain alert, because when God answers, whatever it may be, I must know that God is at work. I must strive to see him in all that he allows, good or 'bad'. Like Habakkuk, I must embrace all of God, not just the part that makes me smile. Even if I cry, I know that God is too big for anything on earth to confuse or confound Him. He runs the entire universe, so a single human life cannot be too much for him to sort out. I keep at it; I do it often and regularly; I may schedule a time for it, or I could do it as I walk and work, but do I must. It is proof that I accept my weakness, and a clear acknowledgement that God is all that I need to succeed. 

 And I must not forget thanksgiving. My heart is the seat of that expression. I cannot overflow with thanksgiving if I am given to complaints and murmuring. I cannot flow out with thanksgiving if I have not spent time to know God, seek his will for my life and accept all that he is and gives. I cannot take the good and leave the bad; I cannot take the convenient and reject the uncomfortable. God is good; he does good but sometimes the devil, the prince of the world system will strive to beat us down. When he does this, I remind myself of the One who called me to Himself, gave his life for me and calls me his own. That is enough for me. That knowledge and personal experience are l that I need for the journey ahead. Sometimes, it is not the situation that needs a change, but me. How would I know the difference if I do not keep at it, faithful to the end? A heart that gives thanks always will never have room for regrets. A heart that is focused on God does not have room for despair. His time of favour is here.