You do not know how long this will take. You do not know when the work will pay off or when your kids will get it or when your marriage will feel easy again. You do not know when God will answer the prayer you have been praying for years. The long obedience is long because the finish line is not visible from here, and most men quit when they cannot see the end. You are not going to quit. You are going to keep going because that is what men who follow Jesus do.
Scriptures
Hebrews 10:35-36
The writer tells us not to throw away our confidence, because we need endurance to do the will of God and receive what is promised.
James 1:12
James promises a crown of life to the man who remains steadfast under trial, but steadfast means you are still standing when the trial is over.
Philippians 1:6
Paul is confident that the God who began a good work in you will bring it to completion, but completion is his timeline, not yours.
Guidance
The writer of Hebrews tells us we need endurance so that when we have done the will of God, we may receive what is promised. Notice the order. First you do the will of God. Then you receive the promise. In between is the waiting, and the waiting is where most men lose heart. You do not lose heart because you are weak. You lose heart because you are human, and humans want to see the finish line. But God does not owe you a finish line you can see from here. He owes you himself, and he is enough. The man who finishes well is not the man who never got tired. He is the man who kept going when he was tired. He is the man who did the will of God on Tuesday and then did it again on Wednesday, and he will do it again next week. The crown James talks about does not go to the man who started strong. It goes to the man who remained steadfast. Steadfast means you are still here when the smoke clears. This week, do not look for the finish line. Look for the next step. Take it. Then take the next one. That is how you run a race you cannot see the end of. One step, then another, then another. God will bring you home. You just have to keep walking.
Notes from the Watch
I do not know what you are enduring right now. I do not know how long it has been or how much longer it will take. But I know this. The God who called you is faithful, and he does not waste a single step you take in obedience. The long obedience is not glamorous, but it is glorious. Keep going, brother. The finish line is real even if you cannot see it yet. We are with you. Jeremy
One move this week
Take one step of obedience this week without looking for the finish line. Do the next right thing, then trust God with the outcome.
