BE STEADFAST,
SET YOUR FACE LIKE FLINT
by Barri Cae Mallin
*
For the Lord GOD will
help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set
my face like a flint, and I know
that I shall not be ashamed.
~ Isaiah 50:7 ~ |
In his book
In the Face of Surrender, Richard Wurmbrand shared about a young
cellmate named Jon Lugajanu. He was taken to court and upon his return
to the cell, his cellmates asked him what the verdict was. Jon shared
that it was like Mary’s annunciation, it was a glorious day! He
proceeded to worship God, without revealing to his cellmates what was
the verdict. Finally, he revealed that he was being sentenced to death.
All he could do was share his excitement about soon being in heaven,
being on streets of gold, and resting on the bosom of Jesus.
If we were honest, we all would admit how difficult it is for us to
endure hardship. When life is going well, when the sunshine is bright
and all is going our way, very little bothers us. However, as soon as we
encounter some difficulty in life, all sunny outlook is gone. I wish
that I could say that I am always a victor in all areas of my life, but
I cannot say that I address all problems through a spiritually mature
lens. I want to be like the three boys as they faced the fiery furnace,
But even if He does not, let it be known to
you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the
golden image that you have set up (Daniel 3:18). They
resolutely make the decision, even in the throes of death, that their
worship was to Elohim, to God. I want to be like Josiah of whom it is
said in 2 Kings 22:2, He did right in the sight
of the LORD and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he
turn aside to the right or to the left. I want to be like Job
who said, My foot has held fast to His path; I
have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the
command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than
my necessary food (Job 23:10-11).
The word in Hebrew for steadfast is kun (koon) and it can mean to
be established, to be fixed , to be determined. Our best model for
steadfastness is Yeshua, Jesus. And it came to
pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He
steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). No
matter what we endure, Yeshua endured more. He set His face to go to
Jerusalem and endure the pain, the Cross and death. The writer of
Hebrews tells us that Yeshua endured the journey to the Cross with joy
(Hebrews 12:2). Oh that we could have the same response! Yet, what
strength we do get by looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of
our faith. He took our pain, He took our sin in order that we could live
the exchanged life of blessing. No matter what challenges us here on
earth, because of His sacrifice, we have the hope of the power of His
resurrection, not only here on earth but in the hereafter.
There is the fellowship of the cross, as Paul tells us. We must
be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord
( 1 Cor. 15:58). The writer of Hebrews exhorts us that
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a
hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.
(Hebrews 6:19). For those of us who are believers in the Risen Messiah,
we have an assurance that things will get better, the tears will cease,
the grief will diminish, and the sun will come out soon.
Check out Paul’s list of 28:
but in everything commending ourselves as
servants of God,
(1) In much endurance,
(2) In afflictions,
(3) In hardships,
(4) In distresses,
(5) In beatings,
(6) In imprisonments,
(7) In tumults,
(8) In labors,
(9) In sleeplessness,
(10) In hunger,
(11) In purity,
(12) In knowledge,
(13) In patience,
(14) In kindness,
(15) In the Holy Spirit,
(16) In genuine love,
(17) In the word of truth,
(18) In the power of God;
(19) By the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the
left,
(20) By glory and dishonor,
(21) By evil report and good report;
(22) Regarded as deceivers and yet true;
(23) As unknown yet well-known,
(24) As dying yet behold, we live;
(25) As punished yet not put to death,
(26) As sorrowful yet always rejoicing,
(27) As poor yet making many rich,
(28) As having nothing yet possessing all things.
~ 2 Cor. 6:4-10 ~
*
The steadfast
of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.
~ Isaiah 26:3 ~ |
*
Be Steadfast, Set
Your Face Like a Flint
© Barri Cae Mallin, 2011.
*
Barri Cae Mallin holds a Ph.D.
in Biblical Studies from
Trinity Theological Seminary. Other
devotionals by
Barri Cae may be found at
www.barricae.com.
To receive them by email, inquire at
Barricae@comcast.net. *
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