Perseverance in the Bible

Imagine being able to sing the songs Jesus sang or pray the prayers he prayed.

Well, you can!

Jesus, like many Israelites before and after him, used the Psalms in his public and private worship. The Psalms are collections of prayers and songs, gathered over a number of centuries and written by a variety of authors, including King David. They are full of personal testimony, but direct our focus to God as King and Creator, Judge and Redeemer, Helper and Deliverer. Each psalm is carefully crafted poetry, rich in imagery, and, although written for a specific context, contains timeless truths. On any and every occasion, we can go to the Psalms and find words to express our emotions, words of Scripture we can use to speak to God.

A former vocal critic of Jesus and a friend who denied him may not seem the most likely people to offer wisdom on Christian perseverance. Or perhaps it was their experience of failure that actually made Jesus’ brother James, and Peter, one of his closest disciples, ideal candidates to encourage beleaguered believers to keep on going.

As early as the end of the first century the future of the church hung in the balance. False teaching and internal division were rife. The Emperor Domitian had instigated another wave of persecution against those who would not worship him as Lord. The apostle John, exiled on the island of Patmos, wrote to encourage believers to resist the demands of the emperor, stand firm against the devil’s schemes and look forward to Christ’s triumphant return which would ensure their complete vindication. The book of Revelation is full of bizarre visions and is highly symbolic; it is written in an apocalyptic style. We won’t understand every detail, but the message to resist compromising our faith and stand firm in trials comes across loud and clear.

This short extract was taken from our latest Food for the Journey 30-day Undated devotional, Persevere. Featuring some of the Keswick Convention's best Bible teaching, this is a wonderful little book of encouragement from God's Word.