Perseverance

The Bible says, “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.” Micah 7:7-8 (KJV)

Young William Wilberforce was discouraged one night in the early 1790s after another defeat in his 10-year battle against the slave trade in England. Tired and frustrated, he opened his Bible and began to leaf through it. A small piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor. It was a letter written by John Wesley shortly before his death. Wilberforce read it again:

“Unless the divine power has raised you up… I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that (abominable practice of slavery), which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might.”

One is reminded of a hymn written by William C. Poole in 1907. Poole, an American hymn writer and minister, composed this hymn as a testimony to the faithfulness and nearness of Christ during moments of great personal need. With its soothing melody and repetitive structure, the hymn offers profound comfort to those facing trials, reminding believers that Christ draws closest when life feels hardest. The title of this hymn? Just When I Need Him Most! 

Daily Chronological Bible Reading: Micah 1-7