We all would have come across the Greek fabulist Aesop’s fable- “The Tortoise and the Hare”. The moral of this story is that only effective and consistent efforts lead to success. It isn’t the person who begins the race at a lightning pace nor the one who keeps his first position halfway, crowned a winner of the race but the one who, despite a bad start and injuries, chooses to run steadily and effectively till the end. Even the crowns and titles a person wins in certain contests is valid only for a certain period of time though they possess the same trait or quality for which they were crowned, for a lifetime. We may be strong but in order to remain the strongest we need to toil and outdo not just in two or three events but continue to excel in everything that comes our way.
“But his bow remained strong and steady and rested in the Strength that does not fail him, for the arms of his hands were made strong and active by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob.” (Genesis 49:24 AMPC). Here we read that Joseph remained strong because he rested in the strength that he knew would not fail him. The promise he received was his focus and priority which did not allow him to doubt, instead he rested on the promise. His heart chose faith even though before his eyes, he encountered hurdles he had to jump, pits he would have to encounter, insults that would be hurled at his face. In spite of all the machinations of his enemies, the bow of Joseph remained constant and enduring in its might because Joseph’s triumph came from God, who is the Shepherd (or Ruler) and the Rock of Israel.
Most of the time like Jacob, we say: ‘Surely God was in this place, and I knew it not.’ The thunderstorms and dark clouds are terrifying cause they block the source of the light and we are more likely to miss true direction. And in such times it’s our perspective that matters!! The things which we read in the Bible are never living and real to us until we have experienced and verified them in the facts of our own history. Our times of hardship have served as the best platform for greater revelations about God- His love, His purpose and His strong arm. Let our eyes look beyond the dark clouds.
Few more hours to go for 2020… Maybe 2019 was not an easy and ideal year as expected or planned, and many of us have felt exhausted at times but those few colours that will remain trapped with us forever, with some new additions and maybe a list of losses, at last we have made it through this far… Kudos to all those who did not choose to hide away and give up but faced up things, working through them effectively and consistently. All praise and honour and glory to the hands of the mighty God of Jacob that made the arms of our hands stronger.
Have a great day.
