Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, in just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay. Hebrews 10:35-37
What do you think of when you hear the word “perseverance?” For me, it’s that poor little train in the children’s story, The Little Engine That Could. Whenever a grade-school teacher read that story to me, I felt so sorry for that little train. “I think I can … I think I can …” she would puff as she climbed steep hills. She seemed to me to be taking such huge risks against insurmountable obstacles.
“Would someone just help her already?” I wanted to scream at my teachers. “Please, make her journey easier, or at least tell her to drive her train on flat ground. Who said she had to go up and down mountains anyway?”
Sadly, you can see I had little patience with this book as a child.
But it really does make a great point, and it’s similar to the one in Hebrews 10. Verse 35 tells us not to throw away our confidence. We have to keep trying, keep standing, keep searching, and keep believing. The truth is, we are in a battle. The things that matter most don’t come easy, and they take a long time to develop. Whether it’s character, relationships, or faith, we must prepare to stay in for the long haul.
God knows all about the challenges and setbacks. He sees everything and he understands.
We don’t struggle for nothing. Verse 35 goes on to tell us that our confidence will be richly rewarded. If we persist in living out God’s will for our lives, we will receive what God has promised.
The concept of a reward implies payment, like a worker who draws a wage. Jesus promised rewards to his disciples for doing his work of evangelism on earth.
What is the reward God has in mind for those who persevere? Is Hebrews talking about financial gain?
The promises God has made far exceed material possessions or financial security. The reward of God is our salvation, purchased for us through the blood of Jesus Christ. Rewards also come as blessings that are showered on us at any time and in any way God chooses.
These are wonderful and entirely true, but when we face a hardship or are mired in struggle, it’s not always so helpful to comfort ourselves with the broad theological concepts that encompass our entire lives. We need help now. We want that word that will tell us yes, we will make it up that mountain. We are desperate to know God is present and aware, and that he won’t leave us.
This is perhaps what these verses from Hebrews 10 is pointing to. God rewards us with more of himself. We can take it in at any time on any day. In those moments when we feel like we only move forward by inches, even the slightest progress offers more of God’s presence to us. This is because as we persevere farther and farther through our challenges, God is moving deeper and deeper into us.
It works both ways. As we are conquering territory on the outside, God is claiming more and more territory in our hearts on the inside.
So what is the goal, really? Do we want to push through the problems for the sake of eliminating them and striving for that elusive easy life?
Or, are we pressing on in pursuit of God? Trouble will make us do that. And the secret is, if we’re willing to let God shape us and change us as we persevere, the troubles aren’t really troubles anymore. They become opportunities. Opportunity for sanctification and holiness, change and increasing strength.
In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.
God is here. He’s working in you, working in your circumstances by helping you endure and rise above.
Do you feel as if you are wielding your sword alone, at night where no one sees you through the darkness?
God sees. He is on his way to bring you his perfect assistance at just the right time. Your help is on the way.
What the psalmist says about the city in Psalm 46 can also be said about us:
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Psalm 46:5
Be of good cheer. In this world we will have trouble, but Christ has overcome the world.
And he will help us overcome too. This is why we must persevere.
