Remaining Steadfast Amid Severe Winds of Change

Granite quarry in Vermont.

Of late I’ve been thinking about a word we don’t often use these days, but one that history has consistently held in high regard. It’s a proud, noble and virtuous term. The word is steadfast.

Despite the apparently lack of appreciation for this word in contemporary culture, it’s used repeatedly in the Bible. One verse I learned early in my Christian life is Isaiah 26:3, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.” The New International Version says it a bit differently, but equally effective: “You [the Lord] will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.”

We see the word again in Psalm 112, which declares, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments…. He does not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:1,7).

 

What is this word, “steadfast”? One definition of it is, “resolutely or dutifully firm.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “a steady and unwavering course in love, allegiance, or conviction…firmly fixed in place, not subject to change.” For me, the word also evokes the term “stand firm.” Put together, these definitions and synonyms call to mind someone who isn’t easily moved in the beliefs or standards they follow.

 

Why is this important? Because the foundational principles, virtues and values upon which our society was built and established are under assault, being attacked by gale force winds of change, compromise and watered-down convictions.

 

Whenever we read about great exploits, whether it’s being the first to climb a mountain like Mount Everest, engaging in combat, developing a championship sports team, or founding a great nation like the United States, we can’t avoid encountering men and women who remained steadfast, unbending, filled with rock-solid resolve in the pursuit of their goals.

 

I’ve been reading The Founders’ Bible, an edition of the Scriptures that also includes hundreds of articles, brief commentaries, and notes about how our Founding Fathers clung to their convictions and beliefs in the face of formidable, almost impossible odds. They were, in a word, steadfast.

 

In our walk of faith, we’d be wise to keep that word foremost in our minds. With everything that we see and hear transpiring all around us, it’s clear that like it or not, we’re involved in an intense spiritual war. Perhaps more than ever before, we must remain steadfast to avoid succumbing to the ongoing assault.

 

We read about this in 1 Corinthians 15:58, where the apostle Paul exhorted Christ followers in ancient Corinth, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” The NIV translates the word as “stand firm.”

 

The Corinthians could have used any variety of excuses for wandering from the faith, from everyday challenges they faced to the emergence of false teachers seeking to lure them away from the bedrock truths of the Gospel that they had learned and were living by.

 

King David, who experienced more than his share of opposition and adversity, wrote about the importance of standing firm. In Psalm 57:7 he wrote, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast…. I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples.”

 

Even if we’re not of the spiritual stature of an apostle Paul or King David, the importance of a steadfast, uncompromising approach to life and faith is vital. Like a competitor in a marathon, we must remain fixed on our goal, the imperative of finishing our life’s race well – and serving God well as we do so.

 

The peer pressure is there. Prevailing messages in our culture beckon us to veer off course, “losing our first love” as the church in Ephesus was described (Revelation 2:4). Another ancient church cited in the next chapter, the body of believers in Laodicea, was said to be “lukewarm – neither cold nor hot.” Because of this, God said, “I am about to spit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16).

 

The one who is not steadfast, who chooses instead to straddle the fence or is susceptible to losing heart, is like what we find pictured in James 1:6, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave in the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”

For many of us, Sunday mornings are times when it’s fairly easy to stand firm. We hear wonderful praise songs and hymns, a strong, biblically based message, and enjoy the company of like-minded believers. That’s good. But what happens when it’s Monday morning and the alarm of reality goes off, we go to the office and the phone rings, or we enter the classroom where contradictory views and values are espoused. Can we stand firm, remain steadfast even then? 

Weary from Well-Doing?

As some wise person – or maybe just a wise guy – has observed, the only problem with everyday life is that it’s so daily.

We go through each day, carrying out responsibilities, performing work, handling chores, and working through problems – then we go to bed, get some rest (hopefully), wake up the next morning and start all over again.

Coping with the monotonous present
is sometimes easier with the end in sight.

Even when it’s a newborn baby, a puppy, a new job, being newlyweds, or attaining a different stage in life, the newness eventually fades and sameness replaces it. We find ourselves mired in the mundane.

Other than doing a little gardening in years past, I can’t relate to what life must be for farmers, but they must understand the drudgery of day after day after day as much as anyone. They can’t just till the soil and sow the seed, then bring in the crop the next day. Instead they must work their land, doing all they can to nurture the crop and hope nature cooperates. The same applies to tending livestock. Cows can’t feed themselves – or milk themselves. Chickens won’t gather their own eggs. Sheep need to be shorn regularly, and so on.

So how do we get through the inevitability of every day, with only blips of excitement to punctuate the relentless routine of being a mom or a dad, a worker or an executive, a student, or even an athlete or a performer?

If all we concentrate on is the here-and-now, at times it can be extremely difficult. The “meantime” can seem quite mean when there’s no end in sight. But that’s the key – we need to focus on our goals, the desired end result, not the minutiae we must deal with at the moment.

The same holds true spiritually. Sometimes it seems like we’re taking forever to experience the spiritual growth we desire. Maybe God is finding it necessary to teach us the same hard lessons over and over. Or we pray without seeing any apparent answers. Maybe we’re concerned about a family member or friend, asking the Lord to intervene in their lives, but no progress is evident.

Whatever the case may be, efforts at well-doing can make us downright weary. So again, what are we to do?

We find answers in the Scriptures, which recognize the realities of life, that it’s hard, challenging, frustrating and perplexing. Again and again, we’re told to persevere, trusting an acceptable outcome will come eventually. For instance, we’re admonished, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

A similar verse offers encouragement for those times when we’re engaged in work we hope will count for eternity, even though we’ve seen no evidence of positive results. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

The ultimate example is Jesus Himself, who from a human perspective had more than enough reason to give up His mission. Yet we’re told we should be, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

What are you facing today? Washing clothes and cleaning the house? Pulling weeds? Coping with a disagreeable boss, or preparing dull, uninspiring quarterly reports? Struggling to achieve healing and restoration in a difficult relationship? Engaging in your regular exercise routine in an attempt to stay healthy? Whatever it is, take your cue from the Scriptures. Remind yourself you will indeed “reap a harvest” if you don’t give up. Keep looking for the end.