A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers     

Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. . .” The struggle endured by the Plymouth Colonists upon their arrival in the New World is far from the Pollyannaish view we often have. During their first winter, 45 of the original 102 colonists died. One of them was Rose, the wife of Captain Miles Standish, the military leader who organized and trained the Plymouth Colony militia. Within the first year, other deaths had brought the survivor ranks down to 53, with only four adult women remaining alive. Disease, the harsh winter weather, and scarce provisions challenged the resolve of the settlers who had arrived at the New World in search of a place where they could enjoy religious freedom. Yet, in spite of the setbacks, they were undeterred in their mission. Leaving their port-of-call in Holland, where they had lived for 12 years, after departing England due to religious persecution, their sights were set upon a New World, where they could worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. They endured the rigors of the Plymouth Colony because of their fervent belief in the providential hand of God upon their lives. Looking beyond the inclimate weather, disease and death, they embraced what lay on the horizon of this New World. Similarly, in our Scripture lesson today, we are reminded that in spite of the rigors of the cross—the public humiliation, physical torture, and subsequent death—Jesus Christ looked beyond those elements of horrific suffering to His resurrection and glorification. He endured, because He had the capacity to “look beyond.” Instead of being deterred by present circumstances, He chose to understand, that His present plight was only temporal, yet that which lay ahead was eternal. You may today be plagued with ills that tempt to overwhelm you. Life at times can be harsh. Struggles threaten to rob even the most seasoned child of God of their resolve to press on. But as our Lord has left for us His example to follow, look beyond your present struggles, to a better day that lies ahead. Things will not always be as they are now. That tiny, struggling Plymouth Colony was the vanguard for what was to become the United States of America. Calvary’s cross quickly gave way to an empty tomb. And your present struggles, no matter how presently dire, will soon give rise to the dawn of a brand new day.