Tag: endure

“Staying Faithful Through The Storm”

Eli Watson

A few years ago, a ship was caught in a violent storm at sea.  Waves crashed over the sides, the wind howled, and the crew fought just to stay afloat.  Passengers were panicking—some crying, others praying—convinced they weren’t going to make it.  But in the middle of all that chaos… there was one little boy.  He wasn’t panicking. He wasn’t crying.  He just sat there—completely calm. Someone finally asked him,   “Why aren’t you afraid? Don’t you see what’s happening?”  The boy looked at them and said,  “My dad is the captain… and he’s not worried.”  

The truth is, every one of us will face storms—moments when life feels out of control, when fear creeps in, and when we don’t understand what God is doing.  The real question isn’t if storms will come.  The question is: Will we have faith when they do?

Peter faced this exact moment when his faith was tested (Matthew 14:22–33). In the middle of raging water, Jesus called him out, and Peter stepped onto the water.   But when he shifted his focus to the storm, he began to sink.  Faith doesn’t mean having no fear—  it means stepping out despite fear.  

Most people don’t abandon their faith all at once.  It usually happens slowly—  when discouragement builds, prayers seem unanswered, and doing the right thing feels unnoticed.  So what keeps a Christian faithful when life gets cloudy?  The storm reveals where your focus is.

Paul gives us a powerful example of endurance.  In Acts 27, he was shipwrecked, surrounded by people who had lost hope.  But Paul stayed grounded in faith.  

Galatians 6:9 reminds us:  “Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”  Even the faithful get tired.  Doing the right thing can feel unnoticed or unrewarded—but God sees it.  “In due season” means in His timing—not ours.  

And God has never failed to come through.  The problem usually isn’t that we don’t know what’s right—  it’s that we grow impatient or tired of doing it.

Hebrews 12:1–2 gives us two key ideas:  “Run with endurance” —  The Christian life isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon.  Trying to rely on your own strength leads to burnout.  

“Looking to Jesus” —  

Endurance comes from focusing on Christ, not circumstances.  When we rely on ourselves, we run out of strength.  But God never runs out.  Mark 4:35–41 shows another storm.  Jesus was in the boat, asleep, while the disciples panicked.  They woke Him in fear, and He responded:  “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”  

The storm didn’t mean God wasn’t with them—  it meant they were focused on the what instead of the who.  Because when the who is God, the what doesn’t matter.  Storms don’t mean God is absent.  True faith is trusting Him—even when He seems silent.

When storms feel overwhelming, ask yourself three questions:

1. Am I praying like I used to?  

   Am I using the connection I have with the Father, or trying to handle everything alone?

2. Am I serving fully?  

   Am I allowing God to use the gifts He’s given me—or taking them for granted?

3. Am I pursuing holiness with urgency?  

   Am I living like my faith truly matters?

Because most of the time, faith doesn’t fail in a dramatic moment—  

it fades through quiet neglect.

But we can continue with hope.   1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds us that our labor is not in vain.  God sees quiet faithfulness.  He sees your unseen sacrifices.  He sees when you keep going, even when you’re tired.  And He gives strength to those who keep their eyes on Him.  The Christian life isn’t about never getting tired—  it’s about refusing to quit.

(We’re grateful to Eli for a great, heartfelt lesson on staying faithful even in our storms.)

Books by the Pollards

A Tiny Spark Snail Mail Club (Kathy Pollard)

The Life We Get After We Die

Gary Pollard

I Peter 1.1-2 tells us that God chose us a long time ago. This doesn’t mean we have no say, it just means he’s always known who would and wouldn’t follow him. Broadly speaking, it means that he specifically chose Christians to be the ones who leave with him at the end. This means three things: One, he wants us to have a spirit of moral purity. Two, he wants us to obey him. Three, he wants us to be made clean by Jesus’s sacrifice. 

1.3-12 — Our reason for living this difficult life is hope. In the context of this letter, hope is the anticipation of what we’ll get after we die. The entire letter points to the next life as our primary incentive for living morally pure lives. When Peter says to do something difficult or painful, he usually follows it up with a reminder that this life is nothing. Everything we do is in view of the next life. Below are a few examples (we’ll look at the rest next week): 

  • 1.3 — His mercy gave us new life. 
  • 1.3 — This new life makes us live with anticipation for the next life and gives us a powerful, unstoppable hope. We only have this hope because Jesus came back to life, proving that we can and will, too. 
  • 1.4 — This new life has us waiting for God to reward us at the end. 
  • 1.4 — We know it’s at the end because vs 4 says that it’s being guarded by God for us. Unlike our current life, which is subject to the law of entropy, the next is not capable of wearing down or losing any of its value or novelty. Things that are new and exciting to us in this life can get boring after a while. Hobbies may eventually become an expensive ritual, rather than something that gives fulfillment or excitement or purpose. New Earth has none of that. It’ll be just as exciting on day one trillion as it was on day one! 

The Lord Endures Forever

Carl Pollard

I’m not much of a runner. And when I say not much I mean I’m not a runner at all, period. Reason being my endurance is awful. I once tried to go on a run to the kitchen and had to drop out at the living room. But very much unlike me, Serge Girard, a French ultra runner, has run 14,031 miles in just under a year! To break that down, that’s 1,169 miles run in a month or 39 miles a day! This ultra runner has incredible endurance, and we could even say it’s almost superhuman. Serge Girard has amazing endurance, but it is nothing at all compared to the endurance of God.

Psalm 111 is a beautiful description of how God “endures forever.” A quick glimpse at this psalm and we learn that the Lord endures for all eternity. He endures through His righteousness (vs. 3). The Psalmist begins by setting the stage by using the Hebrew word for “Hallelujah.” Then says “I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart.” When he says “with all my heart,” this seems to imply that he is coming to God with every intention of giving his all to the LORD. 

The psalmist gave thanks with all his heart for a reason. Verse 2 says, “Great are the works of the LORD; they are studied by all who delight in them.” If we as Christians truly delight in the Lord then we should be studying the works of the Lord! When we study His works we learn about the great God we serve. Verse 3 shows us the Lord’s endurance. “Splendid and majestic is His work, and His righteousness ENDURES forever.”

As One who is unerringly faithful to His covenant with Israel, God constantly executes justice on behalf of His people. In the bringing of Israel out of Egypt, His works declare His righteousness. This impeccable characteristic of His nature does not nor will it ever change. What a great comfort to know that God will always be there for us, even in our darkest times! We will only learn about our God if we take the time to study and grow in the knowledge of His Word. Knowing that the God who delivered Israel from slavery listens to us when we pray is truly life changing. 

He is always there for us. Because the Lord endures forever!

Why Going To Church Matters

 Saturday’s Column: Captain’s Blog

Carl Pollard

There’s the story told of an elderly lady that was amazed at how nice the young man next door was. Everyday he would help her gather things from her car or help her in her yard. One day the old lady finally asked the young man, “Son, how did you become such a fine person?” The young man replied, “Well, when I was a boy, I had a drug problem.” The old lady was shocked and said, “I can’t believe that.” The young man replied, “It’s true, my parents drug me to church on Sunday morning, drug me to church on Sunday night, and drug me to church on Wednesday night.”
Have you ever paused and thought about why you go to church? What reason causes you to bring your kids to worship? What’s the point? Contained in the pages of God’s Word we can find at least three reasons why we go to church. 

A Past Example

God is a God of remembrance. He would repeatedly instruct, comfort, and encourage the Israelites by reminding them of things He had done in the past. He used reminders of past instances to help motivate His people. God’s Word continues to do that for us today. It is filled with past examples to help remind us why we come together each week. We go to church because of a past example (Acts 2:41-47; Acts 20:7). 

A Present Encouragement 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Hebrews 3:13 says, “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
Each week in the world we may feel outnumbered trying to live a godly life. When we come together we’re reminded that we aren’t the only ones that are trying to be like Christ. William Ward once said, “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.” Our present encouragement comes from unity and the sharing we all have with each other. We’re encouraged through fellowship, but also praise. Worship is a time to reflect on God and what He has done for us. We focus on His nature and His love and we praise Him because we are blessed beyond belief. Our present encouragement comes from our time spent praising God our Father. We come to worship to receive our present encouragement.

A Future Event

On February 3, 2018, Robert Meilhammer, 51, of Crapo, Maryland, was struck in the head by a dead Canada goose. The bird that hit him was 14 pounds and had a nearly 6 foot wingspan. It plunged from the sky after a fellow waterfowl hunter fired a blind shot on a flock overhead. The goose fell about 90 feet, knocking the hunter out instantly and causing head and facial injuries. If you could see what was coming you would prepare. If Robert Meilhammer would’ve known about the goose coming he could’ve taken a step forward to keep from getting knocked out. If we knew what was coming, we would prepare. God in his love and grace has revealed what is coming and what needs to be done in order to prepare. We come together to remind each other of the day that is coming in the future. We come together to encourage our church family to fight the good fight, keep the faith, and to stay the course. Mark 16:16 says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” The judgement day is coming and God is clear on what we should be doing. Get prepared and stay prepared by going to church. 
We assemble as a family on the first day of the week because of a past example, a present encouragement, and a future event.