Note: Click here to listen to audio recording

~4 min read

Hi there. Welcome to Well Lit Soul. Where we seek God, face darkness, and shine brighter. This season of the blog is all about encouragement. So, today’s blog is called: Persistence Scriptures.

God gives us scripture for a lot of reasons. 2 Timothy 3:16 says scripture is good for reproof, instruction, and correction, and Luke 24:44-45 shows that scriptures are used to learn God. In addition, scripture can be a source of encouragement as seen in Acts 15:30-31.

So the purpose of today’s blog is to share some scriptures that have been an encouragement to me when my light was dim and my faith was shaky. There are so many to choose from, but I narrowed it down to five. However, don’t be surprised if I come back with a part two later, because I had a really hard time refining the list.

Jesus Persisted in Sorrow 

Matthew 26:37-38 | 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

This shows the deep grief that Jesus experienced as he neared His impending death. If Jesus could persist in His agony, I can persist in my pain too.

Trust God

Romans 8:31-32 | 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

If God was willing to sacrifice His only son so we could live with Him in eternity, I must trust that He will provide the things that I need in this temporary life.

Hope of Heaven

1 Peter 1:3-4 | 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.

This passage reminded me of what was promised if I stayed faithful to God. And even if nothing else about God made sense, I knew I couldn’t access heaven any other way, so I needed to stay with Him.

God’s Timing

2 Peter 3:8-9 | 8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

There is so much richness between these two verses. God’s timing, His faithfulness, His willingness to suffer long, and His mercy. But His timing was an important reminder that God is operating on His own schedule and it may not make sense to me, but He will always keep His word.

God Hears

1 John 5:14-15 | 14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

This one was critical because I had really lost trust in God. But I knew the scriptures were always right even if I didn’t believe it in my heart. I knew in my head that God heard my cries, so I had to force myself to keep moving toward Him no matter how weary I was from petitioning.

There are a lot of potential takeaways here, but the main one is to stay on the path with God. Walking with God is hard. No doubt about it. Much of it doesn’t make sense. But sometimes we have to force ourselves to keep showing up even if we don’t feel like it. Keep putting those shoes on and push forward. Hang on to our faith even if it’s by our fingernails. God’s plan will become clearer in His time. And if we remain steadfast, we will better understand His nature and His power. Even if that understanding doesn’t come until we get to the other side of life, it’s better to stay on the path so we can find out in heaven. You can do this friend. Keep going.

Connection question: What scriptures do you return to as a source of encouragement to keep you on the path with and toward God?

Let me know in the comments. I’d love to connect with you about it.