Finish what you started in me, God. Your love is eternal—don’t quit on me now. Psalm 138:8 (MSG)
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. Philippians 1:6 (MSG)
Accomplishment.
Awwwww. A deep breath expels through an unwinding sigh as shoulders drop with release. A project is ended. An undertaking is complete. A prayer is answered. Praise God.
What a feeling. The heavy burden lifts. Anxiety eases. The long-time assignment concludes. The work finishes.
I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all accomplished a thing or two. To reach the end of something that has consumed our lives is rewarding. It brings liberating freedom and in it we find rest. Then we relax for a while until the next overwhelming thing.
But I also think it’s safe to say that most of us live in the middle, walk a journey, work toward an end. An end to suffering, an end to violence, an end to injustice, an end to hatred, an end to family conflict, an end to dissension at work, an end to fill in the blank. I could go on and on. Because sometimes things never seem to end. Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel never materializes and we give up. What then?
If you have come to the end of your rope and nothing has been accomplished but pain, hold onto that rope. Don’t let go. God is holding the other end and He will never let go. He completes His tasks and crosses the finish line. Will you go with Him or will you quit? He allows you a choice—will you choose to be faithful? He chooses to hold on—He is faithful!
What makes Him faithful?
Scripture tells me God is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is faithful to complete it (whatever IT is).
How do I know?
Because of the cross. Scripture tells me about that too.
After kneeling before His Heavenly Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus stood up in mighty power to complete His mission on earth. Thanks be to God! He would accomplish the plan of salvation that God set in motion since Adam and Eve sinned. Jesus would offer Himself in death on a cross to fulfill the Word of God. And as He died, He proclaimed, “It is finished.”
His Word says….. Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:28-30 (NIV)
Accomplishment.
Jesus’s mission on earth reached an end. The debt settled. The work finished. But thanks be to God for the resurrection of Jesus. Now His Holy Spirit power would be released for more work until the end of time.
Are you having doubts about your prayers receiving an answer? David says, “On the day I called, You answered me.”
God cared for David and He cares for you. He died for you. The God of salvation accomplishment will finish what He started for you, for me, and for all of humanity. Jesus won’t quit on us now.
David, the psalmist, wrote about troubles he walked through, but yet He sang God’s praises. By remembering God’s greatness, things were put into perspective and his anxious soul was strengthened. He knew God would not forsake the works of His hands and would accomplish the concerns of his life. May his words resonate in your soul, causing you to trust in our Faithful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings.
I will bow down toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to Your name
for Your constant love and truth.
You have exalted Your name
and Your promise above everything else.
On the day I called, You answered me;
You increased strength within me.
All the kings on earth will give You thanks, Lord,
when they hear what You have promised.
They will sing of the Lord’s ways,
for the Lord’s glory is great.
Though the Lord is exalted,
He takes note of the humble;
but He knows the haughty from a distance.
If I walk into the thick of danger,
You will preserve my life
from the anger of my enemies.
You will extend Your hand;
Your right hand will save me.
The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.
Lord, Your love is eternal;
do not abandon the work of Your hands. Psalm 138 (HCSB)
