Verse of the Day
Hebrews 10:32-36 (NIV)
“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
Devotional Reflection
These verses remember a season when believers suffered deeply for their faith. The writer does not rush past that pain. Instead, he gently says, “Remember those earlier days.” Before he calls them to endure again, he asks them to remember.
You may find yourself in a similar place. You are not new to walking with Christ. You have known joy in Him, and you have walked through hardship with Him. Yet right now, you may be tired, discouraged, or quietly wondering how much longer you can keep going.
Hebrews reminds us that earlier in their journey, these believers “endured in a great conflict full of suffering.” Some were publicly shamed, some lost possessions, and some suffered alongside those imprisoned. Their faith had already been tested. And by God’s grace, they had stood.
That history matters. God does not treat your past faithfulness as a small thing. He remembers every tear you have cried in secret, every quiet yes to Him when it cost you something, every time you chose love when resentment felt easier.
The heart of this passage is in verses 35 and 36: “Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance.” Confidence here is not self-confidence. It is Christ-confidence. It is the settled trust that Jesus is who He says He is, that His promises are true, and that His care for you has not lessened with time.
Life can wear down that confidence. Not usually in one dramatic moment, but like a long road wearing down the soles of your shoes. Ongoing health issues, strained relationships, financial pressure, caring for aging parents, carrying the invisible weight of others’ needs, these slowly drain your strength.
Picture a long-distance runner late in the race. At the starting line, her energy is high, her stride is light. But late in the race, the scenery looks the same, her legs are heavy, and her body protests with every step. She has not failed; she is simply tired. What she needs most at that point is not a new race, but the strength to keep running the one she is already in.
That is what Hebrews is speaking into: not to the faithless, but to the weary faithful. You have “need of endurance,” not because you are weak in a shameful way, but because the journey of faith is long and real and sometimes very costly.
Notice also what helped them endure before: they lived as if their truest treasure was already secure. They “joyfully accepted the plundering of [their] property” because they “knew that [they] had better and lasting possessions.” Their hearts were anchored somewhere suffering could not reach.
For you, that “better and lasting” possession is Christ Himself and all He has promised: His presence that does not leave, His kingdom that cannot be shaken, the inheritance that cannot be taken, the resurrection hope that outlasts every earthly loss.
You may not feel joyful about your losses. That is understandable and human. God does not demand a brave face from you. Instead, He invites you to quietly remember: I have something better and abiding. What has been taken from me is real. But what I have in Christ is more real still, and it cannot be stolen.
Sometimes, calling this to mind starts very simply. It might sound like, “Lord, I am so tired, but I know You have carried me before. I know You will not abandon me now.” That is not pretending to be strong. That is placing your weight again on the One who is strong for you.
When Hebrews says, “Do not throw away your confidence,” it is not scolding you for struggling. It is gently urging you: do not set aside the trust that has brought you this far. Do not walk away from the hope that has held you through so many storms. Your confidence is not a small, private feeling; it is a gift from God with “rich reward.”
And that reward is not only for the future. There is also the present reward of knowing Christ more deeply in the very places that hurt. Often, the seasons when we most feel our need are the seasons when His presence becomes most precious.
So, where do you feel the need for endurance today? Maybe it is in a marriage that requires steady, unseen faithfulness. Or in parenting adult children whose choices you cannot control. Or in carrying grief that others may have moved on from, but you still feel every day.
Whatever it is, this passage does not ask you to be heroic. It calls you to remember. Remember the ways God has met you before. Remember how He has sustained your faith when you thought you might not make it. Remember that your “better and lasting” possession in Christ has not changed, even if so much around you has.
As you remember, ask Him for the quiet gift of endurance, not a noisy, flashy strength, but the kind of steady grace that gets you through this day, and then the next one, with your confidence still resting in Him.
Quiet Prayer
Lord, You see how tired I am and how long this path feels. Help me remember the ways You have carried me in the past, and let those memories steady my heart today. Guard my confidence in Christ when I feel tempted to give up hope. Give me the endurance I need for this season, one step at a time. I rest my life again in Your faithful, abiding care.
Quick Next Step
Take a few minutes today to write down one specific memory of a time God sustained you in a hard season, and then thank Him, out loud or quietly, for that particular mercy.
