Hello everyone, I’m Ty’Ann Brown, encouraging you to keep the faith.
Many of us here in the United States are entering our second month of quarantine due to the Coronavirus crisis. And already it feels like such a long time. Many of us would have never thought anything like this would have happened within our lifetime. And just after four weeks, we’re working from home, we’re in isolation, some are unemployed, and even worse have caught the virus.
However, this pandemic has affected you, I’m sure that we all could use a break. I know, for me, I would love to go to church or hang out with friends or go eat at a restaurant or just not have to worry about tomorrow. And some of you may be saying, “God, enough is enough. I’m running out of steam here.”
But this is where I want to encourage you to hold on to your faith like never before. You’ve got to persevere. You’ve got to persevere despite the challenges.
One way to try to do that is to remember that hardship is a part of life. It’s usually temporary, but most importantly it brings purpose. In Romans 5:3-5, the Apostle Paul tells us that, “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, a hope that does not disappoint us, because God has poured his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which was given to us.”
And Paul, oh, he knew all about suffering. Once he became Christian and tried to spread the Gospel, he faced extreme persecution. In 2nd Corinthians, he talks about how he had to work much harder and how he was in and out of prison and he was flogged and he faced death all around him, and this was just the beginning of his persecution.
But Paul persevered. He kept his eyes on Jesus and his hope in the promises of God. But this type of perseverance does not come easily. Neither does it happen overnight. It’s like a marathon, you have to pace yourself. You even have to train for it.
I train by reading my Word daily and having a regular prayer practice. This helps me to keep my faith even when I get weary or tempted or want to throw in the towel. But just like the runner, who perseveres to the finish line, there is a great reward. And I know that there will be one for you as well. So keep going, keep persevering, keep believing in God. Keep your hope in God and, most of all, keep the faith. God bless you.
