“The race is not given to the swiftest but to the one who endures the longest” (Ecclesiastes 9:11).
When You’ve Prayed and Heard Nothing
This is the scripture God whispered in my ear recently, when I was honestly at my wit’s end in my walk with God. I had grown tired of not hearing any response after my many prayer attempts for a change or resolution for the many things that troubled my heart and weary soul. I had grown tired of going to each church service and feeling like I didn’t belong, because I was too far gone, I had sinned too much, missed the mark too many times, or God doesn’t love me, because if He did, He would remove this thorn or respond to me already. These are all thoughts and feelings I felt during this season or battle I had been dealing with. These are all things many of you have or are dealing with too.
What is Spiritual Fortitude?
Recently, my supervisor and I were talking about the state of the world. She mentioned that present-day adolescents and youth deal with higher frequencies of mental health challenges than generations past. I asked why, and she said she believed today’s adolescents and youth could not handle life’s ups and downs because high social media use, among other things, negatively impacts their sense of self. She also said present-day youth did not have what she coined “life fortitude”: the perseverance to endure difficult challenges that may arise in life and continue. This is what she believed had led to high rates of youth dealing with anxiety, depression, suicide, and other mental health-related challenges. We discussed this topic extensively, and what came from it was me questioning if I had any “spiritual fortitude.” I would define it as being able to endure when you are hit spiritually or going through a challenging season, and trust in the Lord to bring you through to the other side of your test—like so many who came before me and were highlighted throughout the Bible.
King David: A Man After God’s Heart Who Still Fell Short
King David was known as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). He did so much to promote the kingdom of God, but he also fell short of the mark God had for him by taking another man’s wife and attempting to cover it up (2 Samuel 11), and by doing other things during his tenure as King (2 Samuel 13:21).
Apostle Paul: Persecuted, Imperfect, and Still Used by God
Or the Apostle Paul, who wrote a quarter of the New Testament, is known for dedicating his life to God, advancing the Kingdom of God, and being persecuted often for Christ’s sake (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). However, Paul, formerly known as Saul, too fell short of the mark that God had for him during his life (Acts 8:3). What King David, Apostle Paul, I, and you have in common is that during our time on this Earth, a lot of things will happen to us due to our choices or chance, if we want them to happen to us or not (Ecclesiastes 9:11). But how and if we can make it doesn’t solely have to reside with us.
So again there I was, in the midst of another depressed mood, a cycle of feeling sorry for myself, and attempting to grapple with the loss of my best friend, my earthly father. I kept questioning myself: how do I get through all of these issues? Could I get through all these issues? I heard that faint whisper from God: “The race is not given to the swiftest but to the one who endures the longest” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). His words motivated me to continue this journey we call life. They reminded me that, though I’m going through this challenge, I “should fear none”, because I’m not alone (Psalms 23:4 KJV). And neither are you.
I believe the lives and teachings of these two pivotal figures in the Bible (Apostle Paul & King David) offer profound insights into the nature of persecution, mistakes, and challenges we face, and the spiritual fortitude required to endure them. How will you endure?
