091207

November 12, 2007

Enduring With Hope

by Shana Schutte

Some trials hit us hard. They beat us black and blue on Monday and by Friday, they're gone. Others last for seasons, maybe even years. Whether short or small, long or large, God wants us to endure tribulation with patience. I don't know about you, but there are times that I don't want to endure anything; I'd rather run away. But for those of us who want to take a short cut through personal pain, God calls us to persevere.

In James 1:12, Scripture says that those who persevere under trial are blessed. This word "persevere," which is the word hupomeno in Greek, means we are called to "abide under" our trials, which can involve "a load of miseries, adversities, persecutions or provocations." When I think about hupomeno, I picture someone trapped under something very heavy, like a bus. And no matter how they try, they can't get free.

Perhaps you can relate and you're thinking, Yeah, I'm under a bus load of trouble right now. And maybe you're even wondering, How can I persevere like God asks through that kind of pain?

Only with hope.

Fortunately, not only does hupomeno--or perseverance--involve the pain of remaining under our troubles until God rescues us, but according to the definition in my New Testament Word Study Bible, it's also associated with hope. Friend, that is how you can get run over by a bus of trouble and endure--by having confidence in God's deliverance.

The hope in hupomeno is what helped Cori Ten Boom endure the pain of a Nazi death camp; it's what's caused my friend Rick to endure the pain of losing his wife and children in an automobile accident--and it was an ingredient in Christ's endurance of the cross.

This is exciting. If God's hope can help us endure desperate troubles such as these, what an amazing hope we have!

What kind of trials do you face? I encourage you to choose to grab onto the hope of hupomeno and confidently wait for God to rescue you.

"If we endure, we will also reign with Him" (2 Timothy 2:12).

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