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12_Add to your faith perseverance

Gen 16:1-3 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.

Heb 10:36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

The Bible’s honesty about the lives of its characters, with their triumphs and failures, is unmatched. It does not sugarcoat failure, rather laying bare the struggles, mistakes, and lessons of those who came before us. This authenticity is paired with God’s high standards for life and godliness. Thus, the scriptures reflect the very character of God, whose foundation is truth. Truth is not just a moral ideal but the essence of God Himself and the bedrock of love.

In Genesis 16:1–5, we witness faith, perseverance, and the dangers of taking matters into our own hands.

Abram and Sarai were given an extraordinary promise: their offspring would become a great nation. Abram received this promise at the age of 75, a testament to its miraculous nature. Ten years passed with no sign of a child. The delay tested their faith, and they faltered. Sarai suggested that Abraham go in to Hagar, her maidservant, thus giving Sarai a surrogate child through her. This was culturally acceptable in those times, and seemed a practical thing to do in view of her advanced age. Yet, failure to seek God’s perspective resulted in a bad decision that led to tension, jealousy, and lasting consequences.

The truth is that God does not need our help to fulfill His promises. His plans are perfect, and His timing is impeccable. The promises of God are not limited by human capacity or lifespan. They are established in eternity, and their fulfillment is certain, though often beyond our understanding. We must resist the urge to interpret or twist God’s words to fit our limited perspective.

Abram and Sarai’s choice reflected a momentary lapse in faith. Yet it was God’s ultimate plan that prevailed. The child of promise was to come through Sarai. In so doing, God affirmed the sanctity of monogamous marriage. Just as importantly, he emphasized the importance of faith in his ability to do exactly what he had promised.

We often experience perplexing and painful delays. However, they are never arbitrary. Joseph went from being a favored son to a slave and prisoner through what seemed like a series of misfortunes. Yet each step was divinely planned for his preparation as one who would be in the right place and well equipped to save life. As a slave in the household of Potiphar, captain of the king’s guard, Joseph learned stewardship and leadership while being part of the poorest of the poor. In the king’s prison, he received the gift of discernment and interpretation of dreams, while gaining insight into the workings of the royal court. These experiences shaped him into a peerless governor and statesman who saved all Egypt and many other lives during the seven-year famine. Had Joseph been freed earlier or returned to his family, he would have been nothing but an uncultured and ignorant nomadic lad, entirely unprepared and poorly positioned to fulfil his destiny. God knows no delay or disappointment. All he does is at the perfect time.

When Abram and Sarai decided to involve Hagar, it was a human effort to achieve a divine purpose. As expected, turmoil resulted. It sowed the seeds of discord and rivalry, not just in their immediate household but between nations and peoples for generations to come. When we act apart from God’s will, the consequences ripple far beyond what we can foresee. Every decision, no matter how wise or harmless it appears, must be brought before the Lord. Only through humility and dependence on God can we discern his will from human reasoning.

Perseverance is a virtue that is often forged in the crucible of delay. In a world that prizes instant gratification, waiting on God challenges our faith and shapes our character. Perseverance is not passive resignation but an active trust in God’s faithfulness. It is the refusal to surrender to doubt or impatience. The Greek word for perseverance implies constancy under suffering. It is a steadfastness that holds firm in the face of adversity. This quality is essential for Christian maturity. Without it we cannot be shaped by suffering to the image of His Son.

The heroes of faith show this perseverance in action. Joseph’s unwavering trust in God’s goodness, sovereignty, and providence carried him through betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment. Job clung to his faith that there was God who rewarded those who seek him, even as he lost everything that makes earthly life tolerable. David endured years of exile and danger, trusting in God’s promise that he would one day be king.

These trials were not wasted; they refined their faith and deepened their knowledge of God. The Apostle Paul also went through much persecution and hardship. But his perseverance stemmed from hope in God’s promises. At the end he declared with confidence, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, and not for me only but for all those who love his appearing.”

Perseverance is not just waiting—it’s about how we wait. While we wait, our hearts should be in agreement with God’s truth. We must cling to His word, and let it shape our thoughts and actions. Each delay is an opportunity to grow, endure, and prepare. The fruit of perseverance is a life of character shaped by experience, yielding unshakable hope through faith in the love of God.

Our ultimate example is the Lord Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. He endured the cross, despising its shame, for the joy set before Him. He delighted in fulfilling His Father’s will. Through that will, he was perfected through suffering and became the source of salvation to all who believe him. He persevered through degradation and rejection because of His unshakable trust in his Father. Therefore He was exalted above all names in heaven and earth. He calls us to follow in His steps.

Let us trust God’s promises, even when the path is unclear or the wait is long. Let us anchor our faith in His unchanging character. Let us not call God unfaithful by giving up on his word. When doubts creep in, let us remember that nothing is too hard for the Lord? Has His power diminished or His love waned? Never!

In our own journeys, let us remember those who have gone before us. They tell us that God’s promises are worth the wait. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and lay aside the burdens and sins that weaken our trust. Trusting in God’s timing, let us resist the urge to impatient action and hold fast till he fulfils his word.

In practical terms, this means waiting on the Lord before every decision, awaiting his guidance, and trusting his provision. It means choosing faith over fear, patience over haste, and obedience over convenience. When we do so, we will find that the trials we endure are not wasted. Rather, they work together for our good and His glory. Let us love God and persevere in faith to the end.