Where Do We Get the Power to Keep Going?

In 2 Corinthians 4:9 it says, “We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.” (TLB)

If you’ve ever been at a race, then you’ve heard spectators shout, “Keep going!” to motivate the athletes. That’s also great advice for anyone who feels emotionally, mentally, or spiritually exhausted from running the marathon of life: Keep going!

Scripture includes many examples of people who had determination to keep going in the face of opposition, including Jesus and Paul.

Jesus faced constant opposition. Religious and political leaders intimidated him. They tried to stop his ministry by telling him that King Herod wanted to kill him.

But Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose. Yes, today, tomorrow, and the next day I must proceed on my way” (Luke 13:32-33 NLT).

Nothing was going to stop Jesus from accomplishing his purposes—not fear, opposition, or criticism. He was resilient and had the endurance to keep on keeping on.

Paul also faced obstacles that threatened to slow him down. In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, he said, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going” (TLB).

Maybe that sounds familiar, because you feel like troubles are coming at you from many directions. You’re tired and worn out, and you don’t think you’ll make it to the finish line.

So how do I keep going?

I get the power to keep going from the same place Jesus and Paul got it: from God.

“We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work” (2 Timothy 1:8-9 MSG).

God doesn’t expect me to fulfill my purpose and do his will in my own power. First, he saved me, and then he gives me the power for daily living. He will give me everything I need to keep going and finish what he has called me to do.

Paul reminds us that though we may think we are at the end of our rope, we are never at the end of our hope. Our perishable bodies are subject to sin and suffering, but God never abandons us. Because Christ has won the victory over death, we have eternal life. All of our risks, humiliations, and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate his power and presence in and through us. Like Paul, we must carry out our ministries, looking to God for strength. When opposition, slander, or disappointment threaten to rob you of the victory, remember that no one can destroy what God has accomplished through you.