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Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: Endurance (03/22/04)
TITLE: Persevering Through Our Fears
By Keith Radke
03/26/04
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“I quit.” “I give up.” “I’ll never make it.” How many times have you heard someone utter these words? How many times have you said these very words yourself? Whether you’re an athlete, a university student, or a Marine recruit in boot camp, you will face fears where giving up seems like the only solution to the adversity in front of you. While quitting may take away the struggle of the moment, you and I lose ground in the sculpting of our character, and we end up bringing more hardship into our lives than if we had pushed through the challenge in the first place. Many times what hinders us from fighting the good fight are our own feelings of insecurity and inability when we meet an adversary we have never encountered before. I believe it is in the dealings with our feelings that we learn how to overcome our fears.

Consider the feelings of David as he was running from King Saul. In 1 Samuel 21, David’s fear of Saul and his threats led him to the point of hiding in caves, lying to priests, and pretending insanity in front of a heathen king. No doubt, he had already given up the fight. As a teenager, God had chosen him, and anointed him to be the next king of Israel by the prophet Samuel. After his defeat of Goliath, he was hailed by the people as a mighty warrior and no one in Israel was as popular as David was. God was truly blessing his life. But the rage of a jealous king drove David out of the kingdom and into the wilderness, a wilderness not just of rock and sand, but of fear and despair. The race set before David seemed like an impossible journey. But somewhere between the humiliation of his “insanity” before King Achish in Chapter 21, and the cave of Chapter 22, David faced the giant of his fear and wrote Psalm 34.

In Psalm 34:4, David proclaims, “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. “(nkjv) When his feelings of fear overwhelmed him, he cried out to God. It was in realizing the fact of God’s goodness, and recognizing the foundation of his trust that David was able to push through the roadblock of his fear. If God was watching out for Him, blessing him and providing for his needs, there was no real obstacle David couldn’t overcome. You see, our ability to endure depends upon the ability of the One who set us on our journey in the first place. When we feel paralyzed in the journey, we can seek help from God who will rescue us from our despair. He will strengthen us to make it through the challenge.

What afflictions are you facing today? Is fear causing you to lose touch with the reality of God’s faithfulness? Do your feelings of timidity, anxiety or helplessness make give up on the race? Let the words of David remind you to persevere through the roadblocks that litter our path to heaven. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19 nkjv) As Christians, you and I are called to endure what can be a very afflicted journey. Yet the Lord will deliver us out of our afflictions when we turn to Him. Don’t give up. Endure with faith in God’s goodness. He will see you through.