Perseverance: How Do We Persevere When Life Gets Tough?

By Lilly Evans

Let us look at three areas that can assist us in answering the question, How do we persevere when life gets tough? These areas are: knowing God will take care of us, looking at biblical examples of people who have made it through tough times, and comprehending that Heaven is a place of great reward.

First, consider a few Bible verses describing how God takes care of us. The inspired writer says, "...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). This verse is so comforting that God will never leave us as long as we are faithful. The Psalmist says, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Psalm 55:22). The apostle Peter writes, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Amazingly, we can bow our heads and talk to our Creator, God, and Father in prayer. We can cast our cares upon him. Isn't that such a beautiful verse? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:16). God sent his only Son to die for us! It shows the care He has for us and will continue to have for us. We can sleep well knowing someone is constantly watching and caring for us. We can also talk to God. Think about that. We do not have to be on a waitlist to speak to Him; we bow our heads and pray to Him. Isn't that amazing? God will take care of us if we are faithful to him!

Second, consider a few Biblical examples of people who have survived tough times. 

Noah is a man that stands out in scripture. When describing the time in which Noah lived, the Bible records, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). Imagine living during this time: "…every intent…" they had was evil! We think the world we live in today is bad. Just look at the day Noah lived in. He, his wife, his three sons, and their wives, and that was it! How scary, how hard it must have been for a follower of God! But they persevered, having faith in God. 

Job is another example of biblical perseverance in the face of hardship. "Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house; and a messenger came to Job and said, 'The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!' While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!' While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!' While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!' Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord'" (Job 1:13-21). Job lost everything but his life. So you can see he was miserable, torn, and troubled. But still, even when all was lost, he stayed faithful to God! He persevered through all of that. I can't imagine how hard it was to endure all that. 

Paul is another example of determination, even while in prison. "For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again" (Phillippians 1:23-26). Paul yearned to be with Christ but also knew the brethren needed him. He still had work left to do for Christ. 

Take a moment to think through all the people we just looked at. How would you feel if you were in those situations? How would we deal with it? How did they deal with it? They kept faith in God and persevered.

Third, let us look upward toward Heaven, the reward of the faithful. John, the apostle, describes this place called Heaven: "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4). If you are a faithful Christian, you have hope in this glorious place called Heaven. Heaven is the best destination we will ever go to. Jesus, in His famous sermon on the Mount, draws people's focus above and not below: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).

Paul reminds the church at Philippi that there is more to life than just the here and now: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself" (Philippians 3:20-21). Isn't that a great thought? We don't just die; we have somewhere we go and are rewarded with being with God. The earth is like a testing ground; Heaven is the reward if we are faithful to Him. Perseverance in this life and being faithful leads to Heaven.

Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know" (John 14:1-4). When writing about the resurrection of the righteous dead, the apostle Paul said, "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Paul said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" (2 Timothy 4:7). In verse eight, Paul could confidently speak of his reward and the reward that all faithful followers of God shall be given. 

Heaven will surely but worth all of the struggles we go through in this life. If you are a faithful Christian, you have the hope of Heaven! If you're not a Christian, why not change that? Because you can. You have time right now to change.

So how do we persevere when life gets tough? Knowing God will care for us helps us know we are not alone. Seeing examples of people who have also gone through tough times gives us strength to know others have faced similar hardships and have pressed forward. We can also have comfort knowing that Heaven is our reward if we keep moving forward, growing, working, and living faithfully for Christ.