Another day

The email title that greeted me one day last week was not a particularly cheery one: "Are You Tempted to Give Up?" My response, to no one in particular, was: "Oh Yeah..." Although I received this email as part of a daily devotional from GriefShare, I'm guessing that it is not just those dealing with grief that struggle with perseverance in the midst of an awful situation. How often do we say "I can't take this anymore!" or "Take Me Away, Calgon!" or "Beam Me up, Scotty!" or any other ridiculously evasive tactic rather than waiting for God to reveal Himself and His plan for some awful situation. The good news is that we are in good company. The Psalms are full of "How Long?" laments and "Save Me, O God" pleas for deliverance. Looking at the history of some of the Bible's most afflicted heroes gives us some indication of "how long?" And it's pretty long sometimes, according to my email:

"You may feel you would rather escape than endure. But remember, it is always too soon to give up. God sent His angels to rescue Daniel only after he was in the lion's den (Daniel 6:19-21). Paul says God rescued him after he had the "sentence of death" within him (2 Corinthians 1:9). God rescued Peter from prison the night before he was to be executed (Acts 12:4-11). Even at the last moment, He can rescue you. Never give up. Job initially wanted God to take his life: "Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off!" (Job 6:8-9). But if God had granted Job's request, he would never have seen God's blessing in the end."

Wow. So apparently if we haven't been delivered yet from whatever is troubling us, it must mean that we can take this. The sun still rises on a new day. Time to get up and do the next thing, whatever it may be.