It was a great day and it was only fitting that the Queen should congratulate the RAF for its remarkable contribution to our defence over the last 100 years. Its ‘tenacity, skill and gallantry’ have ‘truly been its hallmarks.’

But as I watched the planes fly over Buckingham Palace, I couldn’t help thinking of Clarence Chamberlin and Bert Acosta, two intrepid aviators who pioneered the kind of air travel we enjoy today. For way back in 1927 they set out to break the world endurance record that had been set two years earlier. It was partly a matter of (American) national honour of course but they were also determined to show that planes could stay in the air long enough to make long distance flights a real possibility.

And they did, for through a clever use of fuel mixture and throttle Chamberlin stayed airborne for a remarkable fifty one hours 11 minutes and 25 seconds, adding almost six hours to the existing record. But it was not without its cost as Bill Bryson wryly observes in his fascinating book: ‘One Summer America 1927.’ For when these two outstanding aviators emerged, they were not just stiff and tired, they were also very, very thirsty! One of the ground crew, in a moment of excited distraction, had left their canteens filled with soapy water so they had had nothing to drink for two days.

Now that’s what I call determination. They knew what they wanted to do and they were determined to keep going whatever the personal cost. And their story is a useful reminder that some things are worth working for, even fighting for, whatever it takes. The healing of a relationship, a happier family life, a political cause, justice, equality - these a but a few of the things that are worth our ‘blood, toil, tears and sweat.’

Winston Churchill of course was warning the country about the cost of war when he uttered these words on May 10, 1940, but many Christians are facing a similar challenge today. Take Nigeria for example. According to one report Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian, and what is happening there is tantamount to genocide. In the past year alone for example, Open Doors has received reports from its sources of at least six hundred and eleven deaths in the latest spike of militant Fulani unrest. These attacks played out in more than fifty incidents, where churches and homes were burned and residents were violently murdered, raped, and kidnapped.

In fact, the situation is growing even worse, with 497 deaths already reported in the first four months of 2018. Even Donald Trump has felt the need to step in and has publicly told the country’s president, Muhammadu Buhari that he is ‘deeply concerned’ about the ‘horrible’ things going on in Nigeria.

I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like to live amidst such danger. But I do understand why Christians persist in their dogged determination to follow Jesus: they heed words penned some two thousand years ago. Eugene Petersen captures the tone well in his great translation: “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honour, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he ploughed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Rob James is a Baptist Pastor broadcaster and writer who currently operates as a church and media consultant for the Evangelical Alliance Wales. He is available for preaching and teaching throughout Wales and can be contacted at [email protected]