What comes to mind when you think about suffering for the Gospel?
Perhaps you picture a believer who’s sitting in a jail cell or who’s been cut off from family and friends.
The truth is that we all face trials every day. Your hardships may be different than what our persecuted brothers and sisters face. But your suffering can still be quite painful.
For me on the field, suffering comes in the form of the family wedding that is impossible to attend, the conveniences of life in America that I miss, the daily cultural blunders that make me feel incompetent.
Sometimes the hardships I face have to do with the basic challenges of making Muslim friends here who want to understand me and my life.
When you can no longer endure the hardships, it’s easy to believe that returning home would make it all easier.
I’ve read that almost half of the people who go to the mission field end up returning home before the end of their first term.
For many of these returnees, one of the main reasons for leaving the field prematurely is an inability to withstand the challenges of life overseas. When you can no longer endure the hardships, it’s easy to believe that returning home would make it all easier.
God’s Word guides us on how to get through hard times. Here are three biblical things you can do to persevere through the trials:
Be Thankful
Rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). It’s amazing how the simple discipline of thankfulness can reframe a situation.
Embrace Joy
Choose to walk in joy in spite of your circumstances. Throughout Scripture, joy is tied to suffering. God’s Word says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2).
Seek Contentment
Paul knew what it was like to be in need and to have plenty, yet he had learned the secret of being content in any and every circumstance (Philippians 4:12). As we persevere through trials, God teaches us the secret to contentment.
No matter what hardships you’re facing, may you experience greater thankfulness, joy, and contentment today as you trust in the Lord.
- Ask the Lord to show you one simple step you can take today to grow in thankfulness, joy, and contentment.
- Pray for Frontiers workers to walk in grace and persevere with grit as they endure the hardships of life on the field.
- Pray that Muslims will be drawn to Christ as they see the hope of the Gospel at work in the lives of His followers.
This account comes from a long-term worker.