Endure:
The very word evokes
Teeth gritted in determination,
Toughing it out.
I don't even need to unclench my jaw
To spit out the word.
Hupomeno, though:
The Bible word begins with an exhale,
Tells a different story--
To remain under,
To stay and not flee,
To hold fast and not retreat,
To dwell under the yoke with Christ
And not to look for shortcuts,
Escape routes.
Will I pitch my tent
In the barren waste of wilderness
Because the pillar of Shekinah glory fire
Hovers overhead
And warms the night?
Will I step into the raging furnace
And let the Fourth Man
Loose my bonds
And companion me there?
Will I abide in the fiery trials
Without numbing,
With surrender
And submission,
For the sake of knowing better
The fellowship of His sufferings?
Will I pray,
"Thy will be done,"
Though it cost me bloody sweat
And a cross of pain,
Rejection,
Derision?
Will I trust Him enough
To wait
And stay
And listen
And watch for His appearing?
Lord Jesus,
Make a way out of the desert,
Flames,
Gethsemane,
Quickly, if You will;
And grant me the courage to endure
With patience
And hope
Until You show Yourself strong
For those whose hearts are completely Yours.
