“Behold, we count them happy which endure” (James 5:11)
We ask ourselves, are we in a contradictory position right now? Do the fabrics of our lives seem to be opposing each other? If so, I have some encouraging keys to help us understand what is happening, why it’s happening, and how to cross the finish line as the victor.
The Bible is loaded with examples of men and women who received promises and dreams from God, yet (temporarily) their situation appeared to be the exact opposite to what God promised them. This seeming contradiction can be likened to the “transitional” phase of a pregnancy. Jesus tells us in John 16:21, “A woman when she is in travail has sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish, for JOY that a man is born into the world.” To get the victory, we must face similar contradictions with endurance. The two must work together to help us cross the bridge from promised word to actuality.
The transitional phase of a pregnancy is the most serious and most painful part of the coming miracle, yet the woman must endure it in order to deliver the life God put in her.
Our greatest model of endurance is Jesus. “Looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who ENDURED SUCH CONTRADICTION of sinners against Himself, lest you be weary and faint in your minds” Heb. 12:2-3.
CONTRADICTION AND SHAME
We must purpose and practice to remember that at the end of a God inspired contradiction, if we don’t give up, there is joy. Contradiction has an end, IF we do not try to work things out in the natural. Abraham was given a prophetic promise from God that nations and kings would come through him, yet over two decades passed before his promised son was born.
Perhaps the most painful part of the contradictions we experience is the often-accompanying shame. We all hate shame, especially when we are in God’s perfect will and others do not understand what we are going through or why we are going through it. Abraham and Sarah obviously despised their shame when after ten years, they implemented their own plan to cause God’s promise come to pass, and as a result, birthed Ishmael.
One of our greatest temptations, a wearying tactic of the enemy, is to “quit in the middle”. In the middle of a contradiction, our bodies and/or minds can become weary, giving us a ready excuse to faint or to quit altogether. The good news is that our endurance will weaken the enemy and place the burden of shame onto him. Our endurance inflicts pain upon the adversary and brings us to victory every time.
FINISHING WHAT WE START
A powerful example of finishing what we start and overcoming the enemy’s plans against us can be found in Nehemiah 4:6-11. In this portion of Scripture, we’re told that the wall that was being re-built was half-finished. The returning Israelites were in the “middle” of their reconstruction work. The strength of the laborers was giving out. They even confessed that they were not able to finish. Throughout the Scriptures, the Spirit of the LORD shows us how the enemy thinks. It is important to know this information in order to stay-the-course and endure the contradiction. Looking at Nehemiah 4:11, we can see the enemy’s mindset. “And our foes have said, They shall not know, or see, until we come IN THE MIDDLE of them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.” Nehemiah and the people were in the middle of the work. It was in the middle (midst) that the battle became heated. Their struggle shows us that “standing firm” and “endurance” are the two major keys for victory.
STANDING IN THE MIDDLE
Seeking other examples of endurance, we refer to the story found in 2 Sam. 23:11 where we learn about one of David’s “three mighty men”, “Shammah”. In Hebrew, Shammah has several meanings. One meaning is ‘to be ruined”, one means “to become numb”, and another, “to stun”. We ask ourselves, have we been in a trial for so long we have become numb and even indifferent because we don’t think God is going to perform what He promised?
Let the story of Shammah encourage us today to stand strong and let God increase our faith. Standing alone, Shammah was surrounded by a troop of Philistines. 2 Sam. 23:12 says that he STOOD IN THE MIDST of the ground (lentil patch) and defended it. Because he stood in the midst of the danger (problem) and fought, the Philistines were defeated. God wrought a great victory!
While we sometimes may feel weak or even numb, our endurance in the midst of our opposing circumstances STUNS the enemy. Some of us may be facing devastating medical reports, financial woes, ministerial disappointment, family crisis or any number of other difficult situations. To have victory over these attacks, we must stand tall in the middle (midst) of apparent ruin or even devastation” and watch God bring the help we need and the victory for which we desire and need. Having done all to stand, STAND (Eph. 6:13,14).
May we always be encouraged to stay the course and see the joy set before us no matter what the present looks like. Look for the victory!
