How to Find Strength in Suffering and Endurance in the Everyday

2 Timothy 2:1

2 Timothy 2:1

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

In the book of 2 Timothy, Paul is writing a letter of exhortation and encouragement to his young mentee Timothy who is a young church leader and pastor. And Paul, being a seasoned church leader who has suffered and endured through much, knew that as Timothy aimed to share in suffering for the sake of gospel and be faithful to his gifts and calling, he would encounter many difficult days in the office. Paul knew that there would be days when Timothy would feel like giving up and caving in. He knew that there would be days when Timothy would need a dose of energizing and empowering strength to get him through another day, week, month, and year. Paul knew that Timothy would need to find strength in suffering and endurance in the everyday.

Timothy, however, isn’t the only one in need of daily sustenance and strengthening. Because for the faithful Christian living in a fallen world, the question is not if we will suffer and if we will be tired and exhausted in the course of our lives, but instead what will we do and where will we turn when those inevitable times come upon us. In our times of exhaustion where will or where do we find our rest and refuge? When our physical, emotional, and spiritual gas tanks are on E, at which gas stations will we fill up?

The answer to these questions reveal much about the affections and loves of our hearts. Few things reveal what we love most more effectively than being thrown in the furnace of a fiery trial. On a podcast I was listening to recently I heard this helpful statement, “you find out who your Christ is in the middle of the crises.” Or, to quote my pastor Ian Hales from Canada, “where you find your rest is where you find your worship.” The point? If we want to faithfully run the marathon of this life as Christians, we need to know how to find strength in suffering and how to endure through the everyday. And in today’s verse we are given help on how to do so.

Our verse for today reads, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Notice how in this verse Paul gives this exhortation to Timothy on the heels of presenting him with a poor and positive example of gospel faithfulness. It’s almost as if Paul is saying to Timothy, I’ve shown you what to and what not to do, and now I’m encouraging you to make the right decision. Will you cower or be courageous in the midst of suffering? Will you endure faithfully or escape and flee when things get hard? Will you stick through and suffer, or flame out and give up?

In the second half of the verse, Paul tells Timothy where he can find a sure and steady supply of strength in his time of need. Instead of turning to the pleasures of this world, or lazily abandoning his God-given responsibilities, Paul presents Timothy with an outlet of endless electrical enduring supply.

He says, “be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” However, what exactly does it mean to be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus? How does the grace in Christ Jesus give us spiritual strength?

The Greek word for grace used in this verse, charis, means gift, benefit, favor, pleasure, thanks, or its current explanation, grace. In other words, grace can be defined and thought of as unmerited, undeserved, unwarranted, and unexpected favor. Grace is a gift given freely to an unworthy recipient. Finding strength in the grace of Christ Jesus, then, means making use of the many free gifts we have been given through our Lord and Savior. It means seeking strength and sustenance in all that Jesus is and all that he has done. Today, with the help of some other Scripture passages, we’ll quickly look at five ways in which we practically make use of the means of grace we have been given through the person and work of Christ Jesus.

Firstly, we must ruminate on Him and ponder. Do you ever take time to ponder the person of Jesus Christ? Do you think about how Jesus is the true vine, good shepherd, and faithful friend? (John 15:1, 15, 10:11) Do you ever think of the way in which he saved you, the means he uses to sustain you, and how he always intercedes for you? (Rom 8:34). If we would be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus oh how we must strive to count everything as loss for the sake of knowing Jesus Christ our Lord. (Phil 3:8). We must ruminate upon him and ponder. (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Secondly, we must run to him and pray. When the storms and problems of this life rage endlessly in our minds, do we send up a flare to heaven in genuine and desperate prayer? Notice how Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In Christ Jesus! Why is that his phone line is often our last resort instead of our first contact? Why do we doubt and question the competency of his protection, and adequacy of provision, and comfort of his presence? If we would be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, how we must run to him and pray! (Psalm 34:4-5,8-10 121:1).

Thirdly, we must rely on him and abide. John 15:45 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Do we believe the words of this verse? Does our life demonstrate this belief? Do we feast on his Word as our daily bread? Do we have thoughts of him in our waking breath? Do we recognize the incredible extent of our total inadequacy and insufficiency? Jesus is plain and clear in these verses. There is no lasting endurance without regular abiding. If we would be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, we must rely on him and abide.

Fourthly, we must rest in him and relinquish. Much of being strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus lies in simply relinquishing our control. It lies in recognizing that we don’t and can’t control every outcome and circumstance– and being ok with that. This doesn’t mean that we subscribe to a “let go and let God” mentality where we fail to zealously engage in good works for the glory of God and good of others. (Titus 2:14). But it does mean that when we have planned well, worked hard, and prayed much, we leave all in the hands of him who does have total control. We rest in him who is gentle and lowly, and give him our heavy burdens and cruel yokes. (Matthew 11:28-30). If we would be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, we must rest in him and relinquish.

Fifth and finally, we must rejoice in him and praise. (Phil 4:6). Oh what good a song of heartfelt praise can do for a worn and weary soul! Oh what clarity and comfort is received when we enter into the house of the Lord and sing the praises of his name! (Psalm 73:17). Even in the midst of suffering and struggle, we must strive to say along with Job, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21b). If we would be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, we must rejoice in him and praise.

So how do we find strength in suffering and endurance in the everyday? By finding strength in the grace of Christ Jesus through ruminating on, running to, relying upon, resting in, and rejoicing in the work and person of Jesus Christ. We find strength in suffering and endurance in the everyday through pondering his goodness and greatness, praying to him knowing his total sufficiency, abiding in him knowing our total insufficiency, relinquishing to him our finite and limited control, and praising him even in moments when we don’t feel like it. This is the key to strength in suffering and endurance in the everyday!

“We find strength in suffering and endurance in the everyday through pondering his goodness and greatness, praying to him knowing his total sufficiency, abiding in him knowing our total insufficiency, relinquishing to him our finite and limited control, and praising him even in moments when we don’t feel like it. This is the key to strength in suffering and endurance in the everyday!”

So will we drink from the well of grace in Christ Jesus? Will our places of refuge reveal a heart that rests totally in Christ Jesus? Will Jesus be our Christ in our crises? My prayer is that with one accord, we will all say yes and amen. Psalm 16:1-2 says, “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” Truly, truly, we must find our refuge, rest, and strength in the LORD our God. And may we realize that the only way we will faithfully, joyfully, and God-glorifyingly endure in suffering for the sake of the gospel is by finding our strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Praise God that the well of grace will never run dry!