steadfast: fixed in direction; unwavering, as a resolution, faith, adherence; firmly fixed in place or position
This month, my word is steadfast. It just seems fitting because I’ve now been back home for closing in on two months and the American culture is so easy to slide back into in certain aspects while still proving to be challenging in others. I still feel areas of tension where my lessons from the World Race rub against some of the societal norms. In those moments, I’m reminded to be steadfast because the Lord is always that way in my life.
I don’t know where in your life you need to be reminded to continue being steadfast or where you’re learning to be steadfast …maybe it’s your faith, your job, your family, your difficult relationships…whatever it is, I looked up some verses with the word steadfast today and was incredibly encouraged by them. I hope they lift your spirits as well:
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Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 57:7
My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
Psalm 108:1
My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all of my soul.
Psalm 112:7
They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Proverbs 4:26
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
1 Peter 5:10
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you ave suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
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Now, let’s put it all together with a personal twist:
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. [I] will have no fear of bad news; [my heart is] steadfast in trusting in the Lord. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees. [I will] Give careful thought to the paths for [my] feet and be steadfast in all [my] ways. [I] will keep in perfect peace [my mind that is] steadfast, because [I] trust in you. And the God of all grace, who called [me] to his eternal glory in Christ, after [I] have suffered a little while, will himself restore [me] and make [me] strong, firm, and steadfast.
Obviously the added words are mine and taken out of context by being strung together, but I love that group of verses. They suggest that remaining steadfast brings forth a desire to celebrate while not hiding the fact that a bit of suffering needs to occur in order for us to learn what it truly means to remain so. The journey towards having a steadfast heart for God is a refining process that is worth celebrating.
Wherever you are, whatever is going on in your life, remember to continue chasing after having a steadfast heart. When the time comes we can all throw a party together, along with our steadfast hearts, because all that will be left to do is sing.
