Hanging on By a Thread

Do you ever have those days where you know you’re supposed to do something, but you also know it’s going to be difficult or NOT FUN!? It’s that word that NOBODY likes to hear: OBEDIENCE. Aaarrgh!

There have been many times in my walk with God where I’ve had nothing to offer but my obedience. I’m sure you’ve had those times as well. In fact, if we’re honest, that’s probably all we ever have to offer. Sometimes we are put into challenging situations where the only available options are not to quit and keep moving forward in doing what we know is right. I heard a sermon by Mike Hayes, the founding pastor of Covenant Church in Carrollton, Texas, where he said this (paraphrased): “Sometimes all we can say is that we are on our feet, and sometimes that’s enough. Don’t quit. Don’t go back.” 

Obedience is rarely complicated. It becomes complicated when we try to find ways to circumvent obedience and sacrifice by taking shortcuts or detours that don’t seem as difficult. What actually happens is we end up circumventing God’s best in our lives – and sometimes we get in the way of what God is wanting to do in the lives of others. 

When we examine the stories and lives of men and women in the Bible, and throughout history, who have done great things in the midst of intense opposition, we can begin to see a pattern of “don’t quit.” Ultimately, that’s what faith is about – not quitting when the path ahead looks difficult, uncomfortable, or impassable.

When running a marathon, victory is not always about who is the fastest, rather it’s about who stays the course and finishes the race. It’s about endurance and longevity. There is a one hundred percent chance you will lose if you quit before you reach the finish line. If you stay on your feet and keep moving forward, there is always hope. 

Lest we forget, these victorious men and women have one thing in common – they have an anchor that holds them steadfast in the storms. They are not cast about by the wind and waves of fear, uncertainty, discouragement, fatigue, disappointment or loss. Be assured, we will ALL face wind and waves at some point (or many times) in our lives.  Without an anchor we will find ourselves thrown into places that are far away from our intended goals and destination. If we have no anchor, not only can we not be certain of our destination, we will probably crash upon the rocks and drown in the depths of our pain, disappointment, and loss. Consequently, with no anchor to hold us fast, all our hope is lost. 

“He has given us both his promise and his oath, two things we can completely count on, for it is impossible for God to tell a lie. Now all those who flee to him to save them can take new courage when they hear such assurances from God; now they can know without doubt that he will give them the salvation he has promised them. This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven, where Christ has gone ahead to plead for us from his position as our High Priest, with the honor and rank of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:13-20 TLB

According to Paul, our anchor is found in the promises of God, a promise that He swore on Himself to keep. Consequently, it’s immutable or unchangeable since there is no higher thing to swear by. Our anchor, therefore, is steadfast and sure and it’s found in Jesus who has gone before us as our high priest – our Anchor. We tend to see the storms of life as horrible and tragic and scary – and they are most of the time.

Yet, in order to understand the value of the anchor, we need the storms.  

The disciples can verify the significance of that statement. They were caught in a storm more than once on their journey as Christ’s followers. One story in particular stands out. 

“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’”  Mark 4:35-41 NKJV

The disciples had an anchor on that boat, but they didn’t recognize Him. As long as Jesus was on that boat, they were safe and secure. They should have recognized that when they saw him so unconcerned that He was sleeping! What would have happened if each of them had grabbed a pillow and taken a nap next to Jesus on that stormy day? The answer is obvious – they would have arrived at their destination. They were NEVER in danger. Jesus was in the boat. They were anchored in His eternal purpose and covenant. 

My friend, author, and Men’s pastor at Covenant Church, James DeMelo, was teaching on Abraham, Isaac and the Ram that was caught in the thicket. In this particular story, not unlike Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, Abraham had a difficult decision to make. God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, the very son that was to be the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, Abraham did not question God, and he did not hesitate. He took his son up to the mountain and was fully prepared to fulfill God’s commandment.

When the Lord saw that Abraham was committed, He sent an angel to stop Abraham, and here is what was said: “‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’” Genesis 22:12-14 NKJV

In the sermon, James DeMelo made this statement, “There’s always a miracle waiting on the other side of obedience.” That’s quite an amazing statement. and it’s true. I’m speaking from experience. I’ve seen the provision of the Lord when I’ve made difficult decisions to follow God.

However, there is one enormous caveat that we overlook or have trained ourselves not to consider: His miracles are not always the miracles we are expecting – but they are always the ones we need. We have to adjust our expectations. If you have read my book Shattered: Finding Hope and Purpose in the Midst of Disappointment, I address expectations and the impact that they have on our lives if they are not in alignment with God and His purposes. The bottom line: God is drawn to obedience, impossible situations and broken people. Show Him a leap of faith, a bad report or a shattered heart and watch Him show up.

The problem is that all too often, we give up or quit before He has an opportunity to get in the game. We’ve bought into this false narrative that upon becoming a follower of Christ, our lives are going to get better. We will no longer have to deal with disappointments, discouragement, or unpaid bills and debt. We believe that suddenly we’ll make better decisions and our lives will magically look like Jesus. Unfortunately, or fortunately, that’s not the case. We still live in a broken world and the consequences that result from it. Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. What our decision to follow Christ does affect however, is our attitude in the midst of this brokenness. The Bible promises us joy, peace and purpose even in the storm – but it’s dependent on our choice to get in the boat next to Jesus, our anchor, and stay the course, to endure. 

I like how Paul words it in his letter to the Romans: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5 ESV 

Paul lists three primary benefits of a Christ follower: peace, grace and hope. Then he says the ridiculous: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings….” What? Did I read that wrong? Peace, grace and hope are awesome, but you lost me Paul at the suffering part.  Here’s the deal, the peace, grace and hope part are not magical incantations that have a life of their own and cancel any obligations on our part. Paul says that we have “obtained access”, meaning that the door is open, we just have to walk through it. The problem that most of us find is that the door is the “door of obedience.” We don’t just walk through it one time, but we have to continue to access those things that the King of kings has provided for us through our obedience and our endurance. It’s a process.

Paul lists the process for us: suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope. Hope never fails. Don’t misunderstand me, in this fallen, broken world, obedience is difficult. There are always competing interests warring for our attention and our hearts. That’s why endurance becomes such a key component in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. It’s endurance that builds the other things that are necessary to be overcomers. 

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples when discussing the end times: “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:12-13 ESV 

Jesus could have said the one who leads the most people to the Lord will be saved, or the one that heals the most or shows the most kindness to people, or who preaches the best, will be saved – but he didn’t. He said the one who endures. He’s not asking you to run faster or do more or be the best, He is asking you to stay the course – do.not.give.up.  

Sometimes that means hanging on by a thread. That’s a difficult reality to accept. Usually when we say “I’m hanging on by a thread” we are referring to failure or an inability to get higher up on the rope. However, sometimes, the victory is found in our ability just to “hang on.” It’s not failure unless you let go. That’s what endurance looks like most of the time.

Do.Not.Quit.

Peace.