"Perseverance.
When you look in the dictionary you'll see their story." This is just one of the thoughts in my mind
as I listened to her testimony of praise.
We knew many of the details and a fraction of the pain she and her
husband had experienced because they had shared during our prayer times. This night when the leader asked for praises,
she gave a testimony of praise: how the
circumstances, events and resulting pain had brought them closer to each other,
closer to our group and closer to Jesus.
When the going gets tough, go to God!
Jesus told His disciples in Mark 9:29 that there will
be situations that will require
perseverance in prayer and maybe fasting.
Beginning in verse 14, Mark describes the circumstance. When Peter, James, John and Jesus returned
after the Transfiguration, there was a large crowd observing an argument. The teachers of the law were arguing with the
other disciples. Jesus asked about what
they were arguing. A man had brought his
son who was possessed by an evil spirit.
When the evil spirit would seize him it would throw him to the ground. The boy would foam at the mouth, gnash his
teeth and become rigid. The man had
asked the disciples to drive the evil spirit out but they could not.
They brought the boy to Jesus and as soon as the evil spirit
saw Jesus it threw the boy into convulsion just as the father had described. The father asked Jesus if He could do
anything to please take pity on them and
help them. Jesus replied "..
Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the father exclaimed "I do
believe help me overcome my unbelief."
So Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and commanded it to leave
the boy and never enter him again. With
another violent convulsion the spirit left him.
The boy appeared to be dead but Jesus took his hand and pulled him to
his feet.
Later, the disciples privately asked Jesus why they couldn't
drive out the evil spirit. He replied,
"This kind can come out only with prayer and fasting." I noted when I checked other translations
that some did not include fasting. My Bible had a few further references in
Acts 12:5 and Philemon 22 that added the description of earnest prayer and some
preparation may be needed for the answer to prayer.
Earnest prayer with preparation for the answer that will
come made me think of perseverance. to me. the dictionary defines it as
steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay. Earnest meaning I may have to put some
effort to it. Preparation meaning there is the promise of
The Answer, the hope to continue.
I am not always perseverant (did I invent a word or learn a
word?) in quilting. My quilt group
remembers a table runner a few squares short. I sewed a couple the wrong
direction. I threw them away rather than
risking ripping along the bias. (They might pull out of shape and create other
problems.) I am trying to be perseverant
with a too large and too heavy flannel quilt I am quilting. It may be my last one but I am persisting!
Recently I was asked to share a devotion. I first thought of one of my favorite
"God" words- manifold because years ago I had read that it also meant
many colored. When I opened Ephesians to
hunt for the verse with the word
manifold, I noticed that I had previously underlined "Keep asking
in verse 1:27" That made me think
of perseverance and my friend's testimony.
In Ephesians 3:7-10
the Apostle Paul shares his call to share with the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ. God's manifold wisdom, His many-colored wisdom, His great
variety of colored wisdom. That's what
we need to get through the tough times.
When the going gets tough go to God!
I found a quilt block when I searched for color wheel. It uses scraps of any and many colors.
I thought it has great symbolism with the center neutral block. I thought there is God in the middle of our
crazy colorful lives. Maybe I should
make it a more regal or godly color,
gold, or blue or purple.
Then I pondered the importance of neutral.
I don't have many neutrals in my stash( that's the
collection of fabric for future use). I
always think I'll pick out my neutral later when I had a project in mind for the lovely color I
have to buy now. Then I get picky about
my neutral and it's hard to find the right one.
If I left the neutral out it would just be a block of
chaotic color. Too often the way of our
lives. One "colorful" event
after another without rhyme or reason!
The neutral frames the color.
The neutral emphasizes the color. In this design the neutral and the color
draws your eye to the center, to God.
The neutral is essential. The neutral really creates the
design. The neutral surrounds the color and is the center of the color. The neutral is the most important ingredient!
I need more neutral, more God.
So my thoughts today, persevere and when the going gets
tough and too "colorful" Go for more Neutral Go for God!
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