Persevering Day by Day! – Emily's Snippets

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24.

Knowing with our heads that Lord makes each day isn’t enough. It is when our hearts know, our attitude can follow. Then we can endure the day when things seem to go wrong.

When we are young, we are invincible, and nothing is too hard for us. As we grow into responsibilities, we are overwhelmed and become frustrated. Where do we turn to find relief?

Then we find our Lord God, and as we grow in the understanding of His Word, we know there is more to each day than angry words, frustration, or sorrows uncounted.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to You; You are my God; I will extol you. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 118:28-29.

Did you see the word ‘steadfast’? Steadfast means to continue on or to persevere. This is who God is! Steadfast. Did you run out of breath in your lungs? Have you become thirsty with no water? Has the sun quit shining during the day, or the stars burn out at night? Since God created the earth and everything on the earth and around the earth, they continue to exist. He is steadfast.

He created the seasons and the animals and the birds that fly. He created gravity, towering mountains, and oceans. He created us male and female.

Is it any wonder we learn to turn in God’s Holy Word. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2. Verse 4 continues–Behold He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Our Lord does not grow weary, He watches over us at all times.

Have you ever considered the blessing of an ordinary day? A day with no interruptions or worrisome and wearisome happenings? How can this be? For an older person, a day with no unfamiliar aches or pain can be a day to rejoice.

When younger we often fill our days with activities, but without reflection on the why of things that happen. While young, we look for fresh surprises and exciting things to happen. When asked about our days, especially now, we often say, “Oh, it is the same old thing!” Is it really?

When our eyes are open, we see, when our ears are ready to hear, we learn. I used to not like to go to school. Then I taught school. The excitement and wonder in a child’s eyes when they discover new learning still excites me.

My two favorite words are ‘ponder’ and ‘wonder’ in the Bible. When I consider the vast learning there is in the Bible, I decided when I reached the Gate of Heaven, I would know it all. A wise friend gave me another understanding. We will spend eternity learning about God and His Son, Jesus.

Then I read this scripture, and it whets my appetite to learn more. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. John 21:25.

My curriculum is set for eternity. And the Holy Bible on earth is a precursor for eternity.

Persevering is living in expectancy. When my mother, a widow for almost twenty years, moved from Oklahoma to Arkansas, she set about settling into a new life. She visited the local museum and found ways of helping and made friends. She taught a Bible study and taught piano lessons. She was over eighty years old. One morning I walked with her, and shared that she began each day with the question to the Lord, “What do you have for me today?” Then she kept her eyes open and watched for opportunities to serve Him.

Then I read about the way to make prayer bookends for each day. In the morning pray these three words, “Lord, Use Me!” In the evening Praise God for His faithfulness. In between, wait on the Lord!

Was it difficult for her to move to another community? Yes. Was it difficult to find a place to be? Yes. Yet, Mom persevered in the Lord, wherever she found herself.

Her favorite, Psalm 37, contains these verses that are guidelines for persevering in the Lord.

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Psalm 37:3-7.

Trusting in the Lord God; trusting in His Way and in His Truth brings us deliverance, and the Holy Spirit seals that deliverance. Strength and guidance from God Himself come through Him.

Whether climbing hills, dwelling in a place without a refuge, our ultimate salvation is in the hands of our Lord God and His Son. Hold fast and endure with purposeful living and making each day count.

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in Him. Psalm 37:39-40.

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 1:17-21. Ever Persevere in the Lord!

Comments? eacombs@att.net