“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” Hebrews 10:36 NLT

 Life can be hard. True? There have been times when my life seemed so incredibly difficult that I could only handle one moment at a time. Perhaps you’ve been there. I call managing those moments “survival mode.”

In survival mode, you do the needed tasks but have nothing left for the extras. You focus on getting through the present but have no energy left to imagine the future. Perhaps your hopes have been decimated. I’ve been there. Imagining a different future is not possible while you process that pain. Survival mode gets you through.

But it is in survival mode that you begin to truly understand “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) It is in survival mode that you experience the truth “He is near to the broken-hearted.” (Psalm 34:18) It is in survival mode that you find strength in the “everlasting arms.” (Deut. 33:27)

Through every survival mode season, there are some things I have found to be true. Here is some hope for your current or upcoming survival mode.

God is using survival mode for your good.  Current pain can blind us to the current positives. It can be hard to see beyond how hard it is now. But please, Dear Friend, remember that God is good and only does good. There have been moments when all I could do was remind myself of God’s good character. I couldn’t see the situation as good. I didn’t feel good. But because God is good, I chose to believe He was at work for my good.

That is true for you as well. Feelings are not good forecasters. They can’t tell you the future outcome. They are not reliable evaluators of the present. They cloud the clarity of the past. Whatever you feel in survival mode is real but may not be accurate. Hold on to what you know is true. God is good and only does good. He is working for your good even in this.

Perseverance is one of God’s character-shaping tools.  In those times when I least felt like I could continue I found God giving me grace and strength as I chose to keep trying. Maybe you have experienced that as well. When I continued to persevere, I found myself becoming someone who could survive what I thought I could not. The struggles made me who I am.

Would I have chosen those times? Absolutely not! If I could have avoided those survival mode seasons, I would have. But if I could go back, would I erase them? Absolutely not. The treasures I have picked up in the darkness (Isaiah 45:3) were worth every moment of choosing to grope forward. I could not see then that it would be worth it, but I have learned it will be.

Dear Friend, if you are groping in the dark, press on. You are becoming who God wants you to become as you struggle through survival mode and do your best to follow Him.

While you are in survival mode God is closer than you think. This is what I have lived and learned over the past forty years of following Jesus. In every survival mode season, I have had a deeper experience of God’s comforting and strengthening presence.

I don’t know what is next in your life or mine. But I do know this: Survival mode leads you to the promised land, His presence. Struggling through God’s current will leads you to His future blessings. And He has not left you alone. He is with you every agonizing step of the way.  

Believing that it’s all going to be worth the struggle gives us strength to persevere. Have you lost hope? It’s okay. You will regain it as you persevere in survival mode. What you can’t see is still there.

Dear Friend, you may be in survival mode right now. Don’t lose heart. Don’t give up. What you need now is perseverance. It is in perseverance that you will experience His presence. It is when you feel like you can’t that you find with Him you can. As you lean on the everlasting arms, He carries you into the future you can’t envision.

Don’t expect more of yourself than you can give. Take one step at a time and you will find yourself in a better future. I promise.

My promise is not enough. He promises. And that is enough.

 Key Question: What is the promise of perseverance?

A Scripture to Consider: “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” Hebrews 10:36 NLT

A YES Challenge: Think about your most recent survival mode season. Perhaps you are in one right now. How did you experience God’s presence as you persevered? Write Hebrews 10:36 on a phone reminder, index card, or sticky note, and place it in a prominent location as a reminder.

Prayer: Father, I really hate survival mode. I would avoid being overwhelmed by pain if I could. Yet I understand pain is part of living in this broken world. Please help me process my pain well. Help me to recognize Your presence with me as I persevere. Thank You for the promise of Your presence. Amen.