Day 33: Friday 19th April pray for patience and endurance

Being a Christian is hard and if your searching out an easy life with no problems Christianity is not going to achieve this. If anything, being a Christian produces more problems than you may of had before.

None of the early church, or Apostles in the bible had an easy life! If the Apostle Paul wanted an easy life he could have stayed as a Pharisee, far more straight forward.

The early church, as the church is in many counties today, was severely persecuted. They were burnt, hung, stoned, crucified, fed to lions, had the head chopped off the list continues.

Today Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world fact! With Christians facing some form of persecution in at least 144 countries today. Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ and thank God that we are able to worship in peace in this country.

Someone once said that the Christian life is not spent on a cruise ship, you are saved onto a battle ship as you’re in a spiritual war. If you come to faith in Jesus it’s very likely Satan is going to start dropping spiritual bombs on you.

If this is the case, why would anyone in the right mind choose to be a follower of Christ?

I had another Grandma who was a wonderful Christian lady who had a really, really tough life but her favourite hymn was this, which I remember her singing to me as a child.

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
 
[Refrain:]
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!
 
Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear,
when the breakers roar and the reef is near?
While the surges rave, and the wild winds blow,
shall the angry waves then your bark o’erflow?
[Refrain]
 
Will your anchor hold in the floods of death,
when the waters cold chill your latest breath?
On the rising tide you can never fail,
while your anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]
 
Will your eyes behold through the morning light
the city of gold and the harbour bright?
Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore,
when life’s storms are past for evermore?
[Refrain]
 
Christ is your anchor!

Christ won’t stop all your problems, but he is the answer to all your problems He is your anchor, and he fills you with His Holy Spirit to give you love, joy ,peace, patience and endurance through all the storms of life.

Often when we pray, we ask God to take away all our difficulties in life, but that’s not what we see in scripture. We see the church praying that they would be given more patience and endurance to persevere in their difficulties. It’s a challenging thought!

Pray today for patience and endurance through the storms of life. Thank Jesus for being with you in the trials. Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit for more patience, endurance and perseverance.

Amen

Helpful verses

Colossians 1:11 

being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,

Romans 5:3 

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
James 1:2-3 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
​
Romans 15:5 
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,