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The very famous musician, George Frederick Handel, composed pieces that we may take for granted as we sing them every year, especially at Christmas time. Handel’s Messiah, the Hallelujah chorus, Joy to the World and so many more.
Yet before he ever composed those pieces, he became paralyzed on the right side so you can imagine what this meant to a pianist. He suffered from other ailments and therefore he went into much debt. His creditors came after him and said they would put him in debtor’s prison. His career would be over. His music would die in him. This seemed more than he could bear.
Sometimes we’re at that same place. It’s more than we can bear. We feel we’ll go under. But that’s when we can have faith in God and what He’s doing, even when we can’t figure it out. Then we’ll be able to stay with it until we see a great work done for us and through us.
That’s what happened with Handel. God gave him an opportunity to work on the composition that became known as Messiah. It begins with the prophecies of Isaiah about Christ the Messiah. Then it moves to the announcement of the birth of Christ to the shepherds in the field. It tells of the passion of Jesus on the cross and ends with the Hallelujah chorus of how He will reign forever and ever.
When Handel finished the work, it was introduced at a benefit performance. Who were those that were to benefit from the performance? The people who were in debtor’s prison. The very place Handel thought he was going to be. He was now helping others to be set free from it. Also his portion of what he earned from the performance kept him out of prison.
God has something to give YOU that will help you come out of those conditions you’re facing. He has not forgotten you. He sees what’s happening. So when you can’t figure out the present, believe in the future. There is a beautiful plan.
Know that the future is in God’s hands. That gives you hope and strength to carry on until you see the answer come. Because it will come. That’s what God is assuring you of now. The answer will come. So now you can endure.
The rats kept swimming. So can you.
Years ago, there was an experiment conducted on endurance at a university in California. A team took some field rats and put them in a tub of water so they would have to swim until they grew exhausted. In the experiment, these rats were able to go seven hours before giving up.
Then the team conducted a second experiment the same as the first, but one change was made. This time when a rat was getting too exhausted to swim, they took it out for just a few seconds, then put it back into the water. When they did, the rat would swim twenty hours before giving up. Their conclusion was the first group gave up after just seven hours because they had no hope of rescue. The second group had been rescued once, so they believed they would be taken out of their conditions again. Therefore they could swim more time believing rescue was coming.
Now, we’re not rats! But if we compare the results of that experiment to us, we would say, “You can keep swimming, when you have hope for your future. You can endure, when you believe in what God can do.” You can keep swimming until God rescues you from those conditions. You may feel you’ve been swimming for seven hours. Well, you can go twenty. In fact, you can go as long as necessary because God is giving you the strength and grace to do it.
You have hope in what He will do. Without that hope, your spirit wants to give up. Get depressed. Just shut things down and drown as a rat. But God is not going to allow you to do that. He has too many great and wonderful things for you to do and experience.
When it seems as if you are about to be overwhelmed…
When your heart is breaking…
When you’re tired…
When you wish things would change now…! Keep praying. Keep swimming. Continue doing what God gives you to do. Endure. And know that He will be there to give you the staying power you need until you see His plan come to pass.
Spiritual Powerline to say out loud:
“I BELIEVE IN MY FUTURE!”
Here is a powerful prayer to say out loud:
Dear Lord, I can’t figure out why things are happening the way they are. But I believe my future is in Your hands. My answer will come. Now, thank You for helping me to endure until I see it unfold in my life. I’m expecting something tremendous. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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