I read this quote in one of Spurgeon’s books the other day and felt like it was screaming at me, as though it is an exhortation written just for my heart in this season.  Every word is an apropos challenge for my faith in these trying times.

He encourages us to “cast” ourselves.  There is nothing passive about this verb; it requires total and complete trust, leading us to hurl not just our heart or our soul, but our entire self onto God.  I picture emphatically jumping without restraint into the hands of a loving Father out of total submission.

This jump signifies an utter dependence that recognizes our finite nature and complete reliance on our Creator.  Yet, it is not a one-time dependence but rather a “persevering” dependence that continuously surrenders, jumping over and over again.

And perseverance is a term that seems indicative of difficulty; perseverance isn’t necessary when things are easy.  Hence, the word “even”: He is calling us to persevere in dependence “even” in the most difficult circumstances, “even” when we cannot “rejoicingly hope.”

I appreciate his recognition that sometimes one simply cannot hope with delight.  Sometimes life is filled with so much grief and sorrow that one cannot taste the exuberance of expectation.

I am on a journey where it is extremely hard to “rejoicingly hope.”  But even in my struggle, I want to hurl myself into the hands of my loving Lord and persist in trusting Him.