Luke 21: 19 “By your patience possess your souls.”
Dear God,
Lord be my strength so that I will hear and answer Your call each morning, and get up out of an inviting warm bed, early enough to seek You and be fed spiritually; when I am fresh and my time is not interrupted.
It seems to my mind it is by patient seeking and keeping true to You, no matter the time taken or circumstances, that we will be faithful into the end of our days? Please increase my understanding in these areas.
In the bible book Revelation, we have the word picture of Jesus, the King of heaven, on the throne, and around the throne are Your saints or redeemed from earth. They have been made saints by Your grace! The angel loudly delivered the message, saying, it was patience that would was one of their (saints) identifying characteristics.
The words of Jesus in Luke 21: 20 – 28 gives me (us) an understanding and warning of what would happen in movements of the earth and to Your faithful followers, firstly in the time leading up to the fall of Jerusalem, not that long after the death of Jesus, and in the centuries leading up to the return of Jesus. Now we patiently await the coming of our dear Lord and Saviour. I thank You, Lord Jesus for the hope You have placed in our hearts, through Your recorded words in the Bible.
I believe Your promises that we will never be left alone now or in the hard times, including persecution and being called to give account for our faith; for (we) are told in Luke 21: 15 “for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.” It was after many hours in the early morning hours to His Father, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus could withstand and confound the relentless baiting and carping of the religious leaders of the day, always out to bring about His demise. He is our example of the power and wisdom that comes from waiting upon Your will and guidance through much prayer and communication with You.
Hallelujah, for after Jesus had returned to heaven and left the disciples to go tell people the gospel salvation story, and then later in the lives of the persecuted people down through the ages, they kept their mind and faith by patient depending upon Jesus and were able to withstand and confound their interrogators. They also found that it was by waiting upon Your will and guidance through much prayer, that led to the infilling of the Holy Spirit, along with the promised peace of heaven, even during affliction or when they endured a martyr’s death.
Please strengthen my resolve to waken and get up early enough each day, to open my heart and seek You through the amount of Bible study and prayer that You know I need for that day and for my ongoing direction and spiritual growth.
Amen