“Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard Me. Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth! And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, loose him, and let him go.” John 11:40-44.
Life is so tough because there are so many things that confront human life. Time is so hard to the extent that hearts become weary. The unexpected things creep in at one stage of life; some things come up at certain stages of progress that make it hard for people to progress. Some issues of life have left some people despondent, miserable and overwhelmed to the extent they despise life and even blame God. But to a child of God, there is hope in what looks like hopeless situation and rather than give up in life, the best thing is still to trust God to the end because there are reasons not to give up.
Some of the things that make the heart to be weary are many and are increasing these days.
Some of these are:
Pandemic such as covid-19
Ill health
Loss of different kind: loss of loved ones, job, business or properties etc.
Delay of expectations
Mockery
Failure
Fear of death or infection
Disappointment etc.
But Jesus knew that life could be tough; he knew that the world cannot be perfect and all peaceful as heaven; he knew as well that there will be tough challenges especially for those who live uprightly. This is one of the reasons why he asked his disciples and those that trust in him to cheer up. He asked them to cheer up because he has already won the battles of life for them and things will ultimately lead to God’s glorification in their lives according to Rom 8:28
God’s children must know that:
Only those that do not give up on God will ultimately get the reward of patience.
Only those who do not give up laugh and sing at long last e.g. Hannah 1 Samuel 2
And those who ultimately fail are those who give up.
Do not lose hope yet, it is not too late for God to come for you. You can learn from Job’s life that God is never too late to come for those who wait on him till the end. Job 42:12. Irrespective of the circumstances of life that surrounds you, the best thing to do is:
1) Not to give up on yourself-
Do not give up because you have not succeeded in your endeavours yet. Remember the story of Thomas Edison? He did not succeed in his first attempt. In fact, he made several attempts before he had his dreams achieved. Do not give up, you are not a failure yet. And perhaps you are still struggling with some habits you want to get rid of, do not give up, do not write yourself off. If God has not written you off, why write yourself off?
2) Not to give up on God:
God is working even in the silent time. He is active even when you think He is doing nothing. He does not sleep or slumber. Psalm 121. He knows when and how to show up. He knows how to handle your case.
3) Not to give up on your God -given dream:
Dreams do not automatically come to realisation. Your dream is achievable through the power of God. Age is no barrier for God. The God who helped Joseph at his young age to realise his dreams is the one who helped Caleb at his old age to claim his portion; the God who answers Hannah is also the one who helped Sarah and Elizabeth at their old age to have children. He is still the same God
today.
4) Not to give up on your circumstances:
It does not matter how long you have been in the ugly or undesired situation, you can come out if it. God does not change but changes circumstances of life, even the most terrible or difficult ones.
5) Not to give up on others:
There is no one too wicked or terrible for God to change. Remember the murderous Saul? He was changed to an apostle. Acts 9. There is no one too difficult or bad for God to change. The most difficult person can become simple, the wretched sinner can turn out to become a saint and the most wicked one can turn out to become a useful instrument in God’s hand, God is the God of all flesh. Nothing is difficult for him to do. Jeremiah 32:27
It is advisable not to give up because:
God is with you, God is in you and He is for you. God is constantly working on His plan and purpose for you. He is not in support of the enemy. He has promised not to abandon you at any time. Matthew 28:20b, Isaiah 43:2
God can come for you at any time. He can show his mightiness at any hour of the day or night so be ready for Him. Daniel 3 and 6.
God can send you help in time you least expected irrespective of how persistent the problem is. An end can come to your long-term problem in a twinkle of an eye. It does not mean that a prolong problem will take a long to be solved e.g. the siege on Samaria for several days was lifted overnight 2 Kings 7. The man at the pool was there for thirty eight years, it did not take Jesus thirty eight years, months, weeks or hours to heal him. John 5:1-9
Help can come for you from the least expected places. It does not matter how big or how long your problem is. Help can come from the least expected places e.g. Naaman’s solution to his leprosy came through the advice of the little maid 2 Kings 5. Goliath was strong and boastful but God used Davis to defeat him 1 Samuel 17.
God can do great things in a short time. There is no problem too big for God to solve. It might be bigger than man, it is smaller than God. Lazarus was dead for four days, he was raised within a short minute, Goliath boasted for forty days, he was defeated within a short time, and Joseph was in prison- he was promoted out of it within a twinkle of an eye. God is a God of suddenly. His timing is different from ours. Keep trusting in him.
God can do all things at all times -even the impossible and the difficult things. Luke 1:37. Your case does not confound him. Your matter is not impossible for him to handle.
Therefore do not give up yet but pray more. Hold on to God’s word, connect and stay with positive people, listen to testimonies of those that have received help from God in their time of need because He can still do yours. Wait till the end.
By Evangelist Esther Ogunbayeje.
Christ Apostolic Church United Kingdom
estherami18@gmail.com/ gabbytoyin@gmail.com
+44-7478044454/+44-7988672933.
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