Endurance—Beyond Happily Ever After

When you think of something that endures, what comes to mind? A majestic mountain? The eternal ebbing of the sea? The never-ceasing sunrise and sunset? Hopefully, also God, He Who has promised to be with us always and to always uphold His Word. He Whose every characteristic is the epitome of endurance.

I recently read a reflective reading in Spurgeon's morning and evening daily devotionals, M & E , available as a free download from your phone's app store should you be interested, that piqued my interest. Once you get past the Dickensian language, the old fashiony words and grammar that sometimes make understanding "a pull," the author offers such compelling insights that it is easy to see why he is referred to as "the Prince of Preachers." The entry on that particular day resonated with my spirit, "And lay thy foundations with sapphires" (Isaiah 54:11).

In this chapter in Isaiah, God was speaking to His beleaguered people, promising them good things to come. The Defender of the Downtrodden was promising His people that He would lay the foundations of their lives with sapphires. Why sapphires? We know that every single thing in God's Word, every single thing that He says or does, is intentional, with purpose. Using sapphires as a picture of our foundation had to be for good reason. What exactly makes sapphires foundation-worthy?

The only experience I'd had with sapphires revolved around the loss of my sapphire necklace and earrings many moons ago. The theft of what had been a generous gift still saddens me now and then, but other than knowing they were pretty, I had never bothered to look up information about sapphires. Now, I did.

Aside from their beauty, it turns out that sapphires are known for a unique characteristic: endurance. Second only to diamonds in strength, with a melting point of 2041°C (that would be an astounding 3705.8°F), they display incredible durability. This translates into being exceptionally useful for non-ornamental uses. Think camera covers, watch crystals, high-durability windows for aerospace/military, and many other things requiring the ability to endure challenging and unforgiving environments. This is the foundation God the Father will build our lives on. A foundation that will endure through all the hardships life can throw at us.

How this resonated with me. The word "endurance" has been reverberating in my spirit for some time now, to the point of having it be the first thought to come to mind in the morning. Oxford Language Dictionary defines it as "the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way." Modern life knows little about endurance. An appliance breaks? Don't bother fixing it, just replace it. Marriage giving you what-for? Just get out of it.

The older generation in the church of my childhood knew a lot about endurance when it came to marriage. Several of the members were women who dragged their progeny to worship with them—their husbands not so much, men often being more recalcitrant than children and all. Incredibly, one even was tasked with changing her husband's tire while he primped and got ready to visit his mistress. Really. But those battle weary soldiers of the cross didn't give up and, to a man, those husbands eventually came to the Lord. Some on their deathbeds, to be sure, but if their spouses hadn't endured, where would they be?

This is not a condemnation on those who, for extenuating circumstances, have to break their bonds of matrimony. But, first and foremost, one should pray, and if God nudges you to endure, Paul says, "If the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk" (1 Corinthians 7:15-17).

Not all cases call for continued endurance—I've known precious saints who stormed heaven night and day fighting for their marriage only to have the other party walk away. Though God will indeed try to woo a heart (Hosea 11:4), He will never violate another's will. Be it marriage, work, a friendship, when we continue enduring, which might entail continuing to trust God when the results seem to go catawampus, rest assured that there will be a good ending. If not on this side of eternity, on the other.

The beginning of marriage, the courting, the honeymoon, usually carry with them feelings of joy, a looking forward to new beginnings. But the reality is that after the initial glory, the hardships of life set in and it takes commitment to endure, to have staying power. And not just in marriage. Life throws many hardballs at us: backstabbing coworkers, snubbing "friends," prickly family members, and so on. In every area of our life, there can be no "happily ever after" unless we gird up our loins, and as Paul admonishes, "having done all, to stand (hold our ground)" (Ephesians 6:13).

The effort required for endurance might seem daunting, but remember that sapphires are also beautiful. On the other side of any hardship we might have to endure, we'll be able to look back and bask in its beauty. The lessons learned. The indescribable comfort of realizing how God was there with us. The knowing that now, having passed through that test, we are stronger in so many ways. It might not have been easy, but the end result is beauty that could have been acquired no other way. As it turns out, the beauties known as sapphires can only be made by intense heat and pressure—and take many, many years to develop.

We may not know what the new year will bring our way, but we can rest assured that our God will lay our foundation with beautiful, strong sapphires. He will give us staying power, endurance, and the ability to face problems head on and come out beautifully victorious.

"But the word of the Lord endureth forever" (1 Peter 1:25).

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever" (1 Chronicles 16:34).

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians1:6).