Faith in Difficult Times: Embracing Patient Endurance Through Life’s Trials

The Call for Patient Endurance

Calls come at any time, night or day. They can bring good news or bad.  They can be misdirected, wrong, or annoying. Or they can be joyful, fun-loving, and exciting.

Who doesn’t remember where and when a certain call was received with extremely good news? Or the same for very sad/bad news?

I was standing in the kitchen of our tiny house in Santa Ana, CA, with very young children playing at my feet. My husband, John, called me. The company he worked for closed its doors. In one moment, we lost the company vehicle (so bringing us down to one car), income (and we had a mortgage), and a job for John, our only source of income (I was a stay-at-home mom).

We knew the owners who had taken us in like their own children. We knew the other employees, of which there were many. We had spent much time at the office with Daddy, and it felt like family.

So, you can imagine the shock this call created.

However, God is greater still. He used this call to point us to an even bigger call:

Remain faithful to Jesus.

Faith in Difficult Times 

Where would we put our trust? Where would we put our eyes? Where would we walk? And how would we demonstrate to our children complete trust in Jesus?

Unbeknownst to me, John had called a meeting with some buddies from the now-defunct company for that very night to discuss the next steps. These men were all believers, and it was during that meeting that I saw men walk into the call of God without wavering. They (including my husband) demonstrated a commitment to God and His ways. No matter the cost.

Was it easy? Was the transition smooth? Did John find a job? Did the others?  

So, how does this relate to the call of God? How can we live out our faith in such a way that demonstrates a complete reliance and trust upon God and His call for us – even when it does not make sense, it is longsuffering and/or causes pain?

How can we have faith in difficult times?

Yes, it always starts with acknowledging the goodness of God. Not only in His character but in His actions. What naturally follows is our desire to learn more of Him and His ways. And where do we find these? In His Word.

Following God and following His Son, the Good Shepherd (John 10:14) is heeding the call. But what we see in Revelation is patient endurance alongside that call.

Patient Endurance Through Life’s Trials

Patient endurance? Who endures hardship with patience? Before that even, who endures hardships, persecutions (which is the context of this passage in Revelation), and trials? Think job loss, health-related struggles, relational challenges, family dynamics, and the like.

Patient endurance in a morgue? Unemployment line? Am empty house once filled with joy and laughter?

Yes.  Excruciatingly yes.

None of this is easy. But it can be beautiful.  How?

Jesus. He makes all things possible, and with Him, all things are indeed possible.  

It is when we get behind Him and allow Him to lead, fight our battles, comfort us, and show us the next steps that we can actually heed the call.  

It begs the question: How can I know for sure I’ll be able to do this hard thing, let alone follow it? Mary, when visited by the angel, did not have answers to her questions, but she believed.  Yes, she believed that with God, all things are possible. Zechariah, on the other hand, when visited by an angel, doubted, questioned with unbelief, and lost his voice. Both of these stories are in the Christmas narrative and serve as examples of opportunities to heed the call and to walk with patient endurance – even the uncertainty of the next step or corner.

Our Jesus is with us. He gives us this promise in John 15:4.

We can rewrite this verse to say: Endure in Christ, and He will endure with us.

Even more so, He carries us. We have a place on His shoulders – a place to rest. To be and to be still. May we climb onto and into those shoulders and know He is God and that He is with us as we follow the call with patient endurance.

Hear His heartbeat,

Feel His warm skin against yours,

Feel His hair brush across your cheek and wipe away your tears,

Hear His song of love sung over you.

Father, Your call is ringing in my ears and in my heart.  Yes, I will endure with patience, and I will follow You even if I do not understand because one thing I know: You are faithful, and You are for me. You guide me.  You protect me.  You love me. Amen