God doesn’t originate everything that touches your life but He does orchestrate every outcome.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial.” James 1:12 NAS.

You want the trial of faith to be over. You want out of there, but the situation is beyond your control and has to run its course. Such moments and experiences leave you few, if any, other options. Perseverance would rarely be your first choice. It takes too long, involves too much effort, and can hurt too badly. Maybe you are going through something like that right now. There are times in your life when you just have to persevere. See Ephesians 6:18 NKJV.

Your first choice, like mine, will be for self-preservation not perseverance. You will want God to protect you from such difficult, demanding situations. And a lot of times, many of them unknown to you, God does protect you from trying times, things, and people. Sometimes, God mercifully gives you a way of escape. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV. And He can deliver you – smoothly and suddenly. When He does not, He will be with you! “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV.

Be careful that your way out is in God’s will and at God’s time, not the result of your begged indulgence from Him. It may be that if you whine and beg long enough and loud enough, God may permit you an escape before that was best for you. That will only mean that some day after that you will find yourself in a similar fix, and be none the wiser and no better prepared for it to end well. Lessons not learned and growth experiences cut short at your request will be revisited – and rarely more comfortably or conveniently later.

Here’s the better way, because it is God’s way. Stay where you are, until God has done all that He wants to accomplish in you. He does not originate everything that touches your life – especially times and things hard and painful – but He does orchestrate every outcome. That makes it worth standing fast with trust and grace. “That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good . . from the every beginning, God decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son.” Romans 8:28-29 The Message.

You more easily persevere when you keep a Godly perspective. This is a good paraphrase, “Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.” James 1:12 The Message. Trials can and will be difficult meanwhile, but hold promised blessing when you persevere. Job kept perspective in great suffering and loss; Daniel did in a frightening lions’ den; Paul did in a prison cell; John did while exiled on a prison island; Jesus did that on a cross, for you. See Hebrews 12:2-4 NIV. “Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity. .” for you to trust and persevere. James 1: 2-4 NLT.

My prayer for you today is that you hold tightly to Jesus and find His grace sufficient.