We live in times of unrest, times of pandemics and war that no longer take place elsewhere in the world, but close to home.

Jesus told his disciples in Luke 21:9 "When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened.These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”.”

What we see today is not necessarily the end. Many more things will happen before the return of Jesus, as we read in Luke 21.

But we would do well, as Jesus said, not to be frightened. I understand this is easier said than done, but what alternative do we have?

If we don't trust God, what's left than? It's important that we continue to serve Him faithfully. That we do not deviate from the course, but continue in the direction he has set out for us.

Now more than ever, we are challenged to do just that. Follow the direction He has set out for us.

That this is not possible without faith seems self-evident to me, but just here I heard the Lord say that we are entering a time when our determination and steadfastness in Him will be tested.

And rightly so! This is the only way to see if our faith holds up at all. James even says that this should make us happy.

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

In reality, this verse says that full maturity can only be found in perfect faith in God.

James uses the concept of perseverance, fortitude, or pushing ahead to describe the ability to trust God more and more.

Since faith is the foundation of our relationship with the Lord, it should be clear to us that that is where the trials will take place.

What might these trials look like then? For example, can we see a pandemic as a trial, or is it just a matter of personal circumstances?

Every day we are confronted with things that challenge us to keep walking in faith. Some affect us all, others are more personal.

Perseverance is important in the Christian life. When life gets tough, it can be hard to keep going. Then we need the strength that only God can give us.