In the game of football, when the final whistle hasn’t been blown, the losing team no matter the number of goal difference plays its best, striving to have a draw score. The aggressiveness and incredible display of strength by the scored-down team is out of sheer hope; the team believes, even, at the last minute, it can score equalizing goals and perhaps, defeat the winning team with additional goal. They are saying “It is not over until it is over!” I make a reference at this juncture to a football team in Africa that goes by the motto: ‘Never say die until the bones are rotten’. They believe even the bones can still have life once they are not rotten. However, this is not always the case for losing teams in a football match. Matter-of-factly, some losing teams, become hypnotized by the goal difference so much that, it affects how they play; their game certainly go into pieces, they become retarded out of sheer reluctance and hopelessness!
Most Christians are like the losing team that are hypnotized by the goal difference; once the opponent score them down, they become overwhelmed and throw in the towel. Some are even affected negatively with only the first goal that comes within few minutes into the game. The enemy has entangled us with so many challenges that have become thorns in our lives, and most of us have already given up at the first fight to shake those thorns off. One thing worthy of note though is that, once we give up, the thorns will pierce us deeper and deeper and cause more pain; at the end, what we will have is a big scar. If we fight on with our hope in God, strength in His word, and power of our prayers, by the grace, favour and faithfulness of God, the wounds will.
I become burdened when I see some Christians, giving up too easily and quickly on their race of the Christian life when God has something beautiful and wonderful for those who hold on fast and never give up till the end; it is written in the Word, ‘He makes all things beautiful in His time’ (Eccl 3:11). In our fight of faith, many of us lose the battle. The cares of the world becomes thorns in our lives and our seed bears no fruit(Matt 13:22). We give up on the good fight, fallen on the way, and we lose the crown(Rev 2:10), and this burdens my heart.
God has a purpose for each and every one of us, which we must all strive to get into. There are some who settle for the second rate when God has the original for us. We are too apprehensive and irritated by the length of time our blessings is taking to come, so much that we settle for the less or even give up completely. Our Lord Jesus could have given in, called down His heavenly army and fought back against the chief officers and Pharisees who wanted to take His life. He could have gained the earthly honour of conquering His foes, made Himself the King He was on earth here and had all the dignity and honour this world could give. But He knew His purpose, and that God had better things for Him, that even at the last point when He was overwhelmed with the suffering He had to go through, He fought on; He endured and prayed for more strength to get to the end of His battle. In the end, He had a heavenly crown of a King, was glorified at the right hand side of God and given all power both in Heaven and earth. It was only at the end of His work on the cross that He said, ‘It is finished!’ When God hasn’t said ‘I’m done’, don’t say, ‘It is finished’. Don’t call it done what God hasn’t completed.
God had promised Abraham to make of him a great nation and bless him(Gen 12:2). He had also promised he would give the land of Canaan to his seed. All these the Lord promised when Abraham had no child of his own. It took a while for these promises to come true, and Abraham went through twists and turns before the promise came to pass. God took him through a long process, molding him to fit what He wanted to give to him. The promise of a seed of his own to inherit the land of Canaan and make him a great nation was tarrying, and Abraham could have settled for the riches God gave him along the way(Gen 13:2), refused to obey God anymore and renounced the other promise, but he knew God wasn’t finished with him yet. It is only when he waited upon the Lord and sought His face in remembrance of His promise to him that his vision came to pass. Most of us, we are saying it is the end when God hasn’t finished with us yet. We think the situation is taking too long to effect a change and we have swayed from God and His promise to us to a place where we think it is ok for us. We are like clay, telling the potter in the middle of the molding, ‘that is enough; I like myself this way, I want to look this way, don’t mold me anymore’. Note worthily, a pot that is halfway molded will surely come to ruins; it is not over until it is over.
Hannah was a childless woman who earnestly wanted to see a change in her situation. She went to pray in the temple everyday, beseeching God for a child(ISam 1:10-11). She might have been doing this for weeks, months or probably years, but had such energy of hope. Descriptively, she had been praying everyday for this cause until she conceived. Another instance is Zechariah and Elizabeth’s quest for a child. The contemporary church lacks the spirit of perseverance and hope; we get baffled in our unpleasant situations and allow the situation to entangle us. We get coiled in a corner of despair and gloom that we miss out what God has for us. Sometimes, all we have to do is to say a word of prayer and the situation would be changed; Jesus said, ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full’(Jn 16:24). In the gospel, Jesus makes known to us persistence and perseverance in our quest for God’s hand is what will open great doors for us(Luke 18:1-8). We must continue to seek the face of God and shake the heavens with our earnest and fervent prayers until God intervenes in our situation. We must be like Jacob who wrestled with and said to the angel of the Lord, ‘…I will not let thee go, except thou bless me’ (Gen 32:26).
Though the promises of God might take long to come, with hope, perseverance and faith, we need to hold on steadfastly unto God’s Word until we receive from Him; for whatever He had said, He would do, though it lingers(Hab 2:3). We must shake the gates of heavens with persistent earnest prayers until the problem is done with. Many of us need the spirit of Paul, who was pressing on toward the goal for a victorious crown(Ph 3:14;1Corin 9:25). When the final whistle hasn’t been blown, don’t throw in the towel; keep the fire of hope and perseverance burning brightly until you see light at the end of the tunnel. A good adage says, ‘It is those who strive on once the effort seem wasted who will win’. Fight the good fight with all thy might; Christ as your strength. Lay hold on life and it shall be your joy and crown eternally!
