Title: “Holding On When You Feel Like Letting Go”
Text: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)
Introduction: “Faith is not holding on to a feeling; it is holding on to a promise.” — Elisabeth Elliot
There are moments in every life when continuing forward feels harder than quitting. Discouragement settles in quietly. Prayers feel unanswered. Strength feels spent. In those moments, letting go can seem like relief. Yet Scripture consistently calls God’s people to hold on—not because it is easy, but because God is faithful.
I. What is True About Not Giving Up?
1. The Urge to Let Go Is Not Failure
A young pianist once dreamed of playing at Carnegie Hall. From childhood, she practiced faithfully. Her fingers stumbled often, but her passion never faded. Finally, after years of discipline, she auditioned for a prestigious conservatory.
She was rejected.
The letter was brief. Cold. Final.
She folded it slowly and placed it on her desk. For the first time in her life, she wondered if she should quit. She stopped practicing. The piano sat silent.
Weeks later, her former teacher visited. He noticed the untouched piano and asked why she had stopped.
She handed him the rejection letter.
He read it, then looked at her and said something she never forgot:
“You were not rejected because you failed. You were rejected because you are still becoming.”
He sat down at the piano and played a simple scale.
“Do you hear that?” he asked.
“It’s not perfect—but it’s alive. And as long as it’s alive, it can grow.”
She returned to practicing—not because she knew she would succeed, but because she knew quitting would guarantee failure.
Years later, she did play at Carnegie Hall.
But the turning point was not the performance.
It was the moment she chose not to give up.
Gospel Connection
The Christian life is not defined by never struggling, but by never abandoning Christ.
Peter is the clearest example.
On the night Jesus needed him most, Peter denied Him three times (Luke 22:61–62). In that moment, Peter must have felt like a complete failure. He had sworn loyalty—and then collapsed under pressure.
But here is the key: Peter’s denial was not his end.
After the resurrection, Jesus sought Peter out. He did not shame him. He restored him (John 21:15–17).
Peter’s temptation to give up was real. But his story did not end in failure—it ended in restoration.
Failure is not falling down. Failure is refusing to get back up.
Proverbs 24:16 says:
“Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.”
The righteous are not those who never fall. They are those who rise again by grace.
Key Insight:
The presence of struggle does not mean the absence of faith. In fact, struggle is often the place where faith is being strengthened.
You are not defined by the moment you wanted to quit.
You are defined by the Savior who refused to quit on you.
Christ did not go to the cross because you were strong.
He went because you were weak.
And because He finished His work, your story is never finished when you feel like giving up.
Feeling like giving up does not mean you lack faith; it means you are human. Even great men and women of Scripture reached points of exhaustion and despair.
• Elijah asked God to take his life (1 Kings 19).
• David cried out from caves of fear and loneliness.
• Paul admitted to being burdened beyond his strength (2 Corinthians 1:8).
God met each of them not with condemnation, but with presence, provision, and renewed purpose.
2. Holding On Often Looks Ordinary
Holding on does not always mean bold declarations or dramatic victories. Often it looks like quiet obedience—getting up one more day, praying one more prayer, choosing faith over feelings. God honors persistence, even when it feels unimpressive.
A man once applied for a job as a night watchman at a small factory. His job was not glamorous. He walked the same path every night, checked the same doors, tested the same locks, and watched the same quiet hallways. Most nights, nothing happened.
After many years, a new manager arrived. He reviewed the watchman’s record and noticed something unusual.
For twenty-two years, there had never been a break-in.
Curious, the manager asked him, “What did you do differently from other watchmen?”
The man smiled and said, “Nothing differently. I just showed up every night and did the ordinary things faithfully.”
The manager later discovered that in nearby factories, break-ins were common—but not here. The watchman’s quiet persistence had prevented countless problems that never made headlines.
His success was not seen in dramatic action—but in faithful consistency.
Spiritual Application
The Christian life is built the same way—not on dramatic moments, but on daily persistence in ordinary faithfulness.
Reading Scripture.
Praying.
Choosing forgiveness.
Showing kindness.
Trusting God again today.
These actions may seem small, but they shape a life of great strength.
Galatians 6:9 reminds us: “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Most spiritual victories happen quietly.
• Daniel prayed faithfully long before he was thrown into the lion’s den
• David worshiped in the fields long before he ruled a nation.
• Jesus lived thirty ordinary years before His public ministry began.
God does His deepest work through persistent faith in ordinary days.
Key Truth
Great faith is not proven in occasional dramatic moments.
It is proven in ordinary persistence.
Every prayer.
Every act of obedience.
Every quiet step of faith.
Nothing done faithfully for God is ever wasted.
Faith grows strongest not in moments of comfort, but in seasons of endurance.
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial.” (James 1:12)
3. God’s Strength Meets Us at the End of Ours
When our strength runs out, God’s strength becomes most visible. Letting go of our self-reliance allows us to cling more fully to Him. What feels like weakness may actually be the place where God’s power rests.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
The meaning of this verse centers on three powerful truths:
1. God’s grace is enough—even when the problem remains
Paul discovered that the answer to his prayer was not the removal of weakness, but the provision of strength within weakness.
2. God’s power shows most clearly when we are weak
God said, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” This means God’s strength is seen most clearly when human strength is gone. When we are strong in ourselves, we tend to rely on ourselves. But when we are weak, we depend fully on God.
Weakness becomes the stage on which God displays His power.
3. Weakness becomes a place of victory, not defeat
Paul responds by saying, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Paul was not celebrating pain itself. He was celebrating what God did through it. He understood that weakness was not the end of usefulness. It was the beginning of deeper dependence on Christ.
Simple summary
Paul meant that:
• God’s grace is enough to sustain you.
• God’s power works best when you are weak.
• Your weakness does not limit God—it reveals Him.
• You can have strength even when your situation does not change.
Application
This verse teaches us that God does not always remove our struggles, but He always gives us the grace to endure them. Our greatest moments of spiritual strength often come when we feel weakest.
You may feel inadequate, exhausted, or overwhelmed. But God’s grace is sufficient. His strength is working in you, even now.
II. Here are 4 Practical, Faith-Centered Tips for Holding On When You Feel Like Giving Up:
• Take It One Day—Or One Step—at a Time (Every journey starts with the first step.)
• Hold to God’s Promises, Not Your Feelings
• Lean on God’s People
You were never meant to endure alone. Share your burden with a trusted friend, spouse, or pastor. God often uses others to carry us when we are weak (Galatians 6:2).
One of the greatest blessings of a small church is also one of the most countercultural: in a small church, people are not anonymous. Names are remembered. Stories are known. Joys are celebrated, and sorrows are shared. In a world where many long to be seen yet remain unnoticed, the small church offers something deeply biblical and profoundly human—the gift of being truly known.
Scripture consistently reveals a God who knows His people personally.
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” (John 10:14)
• Remember God’s Past Faithfulness
Look back at times God has already carried you through. What He has done before, He can do again (Psalm 77:11).
Prayer
Lord, when we feel weary and tempted to give up, help us hold on to You. Remind us of Your promises and strengthen us when our strength is gone. Teach us to trust You in the waiting and to persevere with hope. Amen.
