To be relentless means to be determined and unyielding, refusing to give up even in the face of cruel or unpleasant circumstances.
Paul, one of the greatest examples of relentless faith, faced hardship, persecution, and suffering. Yet, despite everything, he confidently declared in Romans 8:28:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
Last week, we talked about the importance of not giving up. We saw how Paul endured suffering yet remained steadfast. We touched on prayer and how the scriptures teaches us to be persistent and determined by knocking, seeking, and asking relentlessly.
Tonight, let’s take that a step further.
The True Test of Relentlessness
Anyone can be relentless when there is no struggle.
When life is easy, when everything is falling into place, there is no real need to fight. But what about when adversity comes? When the path ahead seems blocked? Anyone can be relentless when there is no resistance.
When there is no struggle or conflict, there is no reason to put up a fight. God doesn’t call us to relentlessness only in the good times. He calls us to it especially in difficult seasons.
Relentless in Captivity
In Jeremiah 29:4-14, God speaks to the Israelites who had been exiled to Babylon.
“5. Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7. And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare. 8. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, 9. because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord. 10. This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.“
— Jeremiah 29:5-10 (NLT)
Even in captivity, God wanted His people to keep growing. He wasn’t asking them to simply endure; He was calling them to thrive.
As Bible commentator David Guzik points out:
“God wanted the Jewish people to multiply in Babylon, even as they multiplied in Egypt. Exile didn’t mean that God forgot about them or wanted to destroy them.”
Finding Purpose in the Struggle
Too often, we see our hardships as roadblocks. But what if, instead of obstacles, they were opportunities? God is saying get comfortable in the uncomfortable.
What if our difficult season is actually the preparation ground for what God has planned next?
Even in a place they didn’t want to be, God had a purpose for them. He told them for 70 years they would be in captivity,and they needed to settle in for the long haul. They weren’t called to sit in despair—they were called to build, pray, and prosper.
The instructions were to build homes, not live in tents. Plant gardens , which was a process of seasons. Not only marry, but have children and find them spouses too. Other words, don’t be in a hurry, but be relentless for 7 decades.
God’s Plan is Bigger Than Our Circumstances
Sometimes, it feels like we are trapped in situations we cannot control. But God’s promises remain, even in captivity.
He reminds us in Jeremiah 29:11-14:
“11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says theLord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.
Will You Be Relentless?
There was a promise for them if they were relentless.
Are you in a season of struggle? Do you feel like you’re in a place you don’t belong? Instead of giving up, what if you pressed forward?
When things get tough, keep pushing, keep producing, and be relentless.
God is calling you to keep building, keep praying, and keep trusting because He is not done with you yet.
