“Then he said, ‘Take the arrows,’ and the king took them. Elisha told him, ‘Strike the ground.’ He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, ‘You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it.’”
​ — 2 Kings 13:18–19 (NIV)

There’s a story in Scripture where the prophet Elisha tells King Joash to strike the ground with his arrows. The king obeys — but only three times. Elisha rebukes him because his lack of persistence limited his victory.

That passage has been stirring in my heart lately after hearing a message from my pastor. It reminds me that some breakthroughs require us to keep striking — to keep praying — until the ground breaks. To not stop after three tries, but to keep going five, six, or however many times it takes.

Sometimes we wait for inspiration, or an impulse, or for our emotions to line up before we move. But God is calling us to move anyway. To keep showing up, praying, believing, and pressing through — because on the other side of our persistence is power.

My pastor said: “Jesus entered the wilderness full of the Spirit, but He came out in the power of the Spirit.”

I had to ask myself
— am I walking in power?

Not just being filled with the Spirit, but walking in His power — the kind that sustains you through tests and trials? And my goodness, the tests and trials recently have been many.

It made me reflect on my own journey — both spiritually and physically. I’ve run two half marathons. The first time, I showed up a few times a week, learned the basics, ran my race, and crossed the finish line. I was proud, but I didn’t feel strong. I hadn’t cross-trained or built endurance beyond the bare minimum. The second time was the same.

But years later, I prepared differently. I trained and worked one-on-one with a coach. The training was harder. The resistance training was uncomfortable. But one day, after a tough week, my trainer told me, “Just get a run in.” I went out and ran — and I felt power in every stride. Every hill I faced felt conquerable. Every step was strong.

It hit me. I was in the trenches training so long that I had not run. But when it was time, I was ready.

Resistance training had built a strength in me that I didn’t know I had.

Spiritually, it’s the same. Trials and challenges are our training ground — building the endurance, faith, and spiritual muscle we’ll need for the next leg of the race. God told us that trials would come, but He also promised strength to endure them. Through His Spirit, we don’t just survive them — we overcome them.

As I’ve leaned into prayer lately, I’ve been asking God to "Give me the Words" to pray where I’ve felt stuck or discouraged, or need support to press through. And He’s been faithful to do just that. I’ve been writing as He instructs, praying with persistence and obedience.

Maybe you’re in a season like that — one that feels like resistance training, like you're lifting heavy weights every day.

Stay with it. Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep striking the ground.

Don't just rely on your current faith - Grow stronger in it!

You are building spiritual endurance and divine power that will carry you through what’s ahead. You may not see the breakthrough yet, but it’s coming — and when it does, you’ll recognize the strength God has built in you along the way.