A Hunger for God and Joy in Persevering
posted by Navigators on October 23rd, 2026 in Discipleship | Generations | Joy
A conversation with seasoned Navigator Rob Bolton on finding joy in affliction and persevering in the harvest.
By Tami Brown, Sydney Labouring Community
If you haven’t spent much time with Rob Bolton or any of our seasoned Navigators, I implore you: seek them out. Ask them questions about their life and you will hear about the mighty deeds the Lord is still doing. They are a treasure trove of knowledge and experience in the Lord.
I recently spent time with Rob, checking in on his health, discussing the benefits of Scripture Memory and the Word of God, but the one most poignant topic to me was how you persevere with joy as you labour in the harvest field.
The simple but genuine ‘how are you?’ question opened the door to hear how the Lord has been working in this season of his life. Rob indirectly explained why his demeanour was one of contentment, submission and real joy as he shared about his health.
‘I don’t have use of my right hand that much … I couldn’t sleep for three months. Psalm 119:71 and 76 says, “In your faithfulness you have afflicted me. … I have been afflicted that I might learn your commandments, your statutes.” It’s been a great time, really, despite the unremitting pain, but it’s been an experience that helps me empathise with other people, especially the sick and the maimed. We really get to know the Lord through His Word.’
There was a richness in the answer that ministered to my heart as he shared the passages of scripture from memory. They flowed so freely out of him. I commented that scripture memory seemed to be a key helpful practice in meditating on the Word.
The Word Hand illustration.
‘Well, I think so [but] it’s not all scripture memory,’ he said. ‘We need to meditate on what we hear, read, study and memorise, but we also need to apply it to our lives and then share it.’ Here, he highlighted the Word Hand. ‘When I share this illustration,’ he continued, ‘I add share in the palm of the hand. It helps you learn more when you share the Word of God.
‘There’s the law of spiritual progression and there’s the law of spiritual atrophy. Jesus said in Mark, “… to the one who has will more be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” In one sense, as we share the Word of God and as we apply it to our lives, we grow. We grow by applying the Word of God by faith and the Holy Spirit. We change by beholding (2 Cor 3:18), as we meet with the Lord Jesus and as we obey the Scriptures. John 14:21 shows us that the Lord reveals Himself more to us so that we love Him more and when we love Him more, we want to obey Him more. And so we’ve got that spiritual growth in our lives, but if we keep what we’ve got and don’t share it, if we don’t apply it to our lives, Jesus said we start to go into decline. Spiritually we remain a child, as in Hebrews. Because you’ve become dull of hearing, you’re not growing, you’re children and need milk rather than solid food (Heb 5:11-14). So when discipling people, the key thing is to help them spend time with the Lord Jesus through His Word.’
Rob so easily laid out what being a disciple of Christ looks like and how we can disciple another. We spend time with God and we share that with others; we have them spend time with God and share it with others. There is real simplicity in the advancement of the gospel and living and discipling among the lost. Sometimes it is hard work, but not complex. Sometimes people can have complex and busy lives. It can feel like this labour of love has individuals slow in response to our Great God. This feeling drove me to my next question: how do you persevere with joy as you labour in the harvest field. The answer he gave was simple, scriptural and straightforward.
‘It’s about being involved in the kingdom of God. Romans 14:17 says, ‘For the kingdom of God does not mean food and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.’ That’s reflected in Romans 15:13, ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ We have that joy, peace and believing, and yet as the Apostle Paul has expressed in 2 Corinthians 6:10 and 11:28, there will be suffering, testing, persecution and concern for others.’
As Rob drew out these truths and the contrasting emotions alongside joy and rejoicing, tears came to my eyes. How easy it was for me to lose sight of the kingdom I belong to instead of listening to the Spirit and looking to God to fill me with all joy and peace as I trust Him.
The Spirit wasn’t done yet with His encouragements delivered through Rob, who went on to share the privilege of seeing people come to the Lord. Rob noted how beautiful it is when new believers write down and apply everything they are taught. ‘In my life I’ve had the privilege of seeing people come to the Lord. Everything you share with them, they write it down and apply it to their lives. An example is Dennis at Melbourne University. He came to Christ and within six months had led a number of people to Christ. John and David are two that have had ongoing ministry within leadership positions in church. And David was one of the guys who initially fired up Alan Ch’ng [who now currently serves on the International Leadership Team of the Navigators] at Melbourne Uni as well.’
‘As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.’ Psalm 42:1. Photo: Jupiter Images, used under licence.
On the other hand, he acknowledged the reality of those who don’t respond in the same way. ‘There’s a slowness to respond,’ he said, but emphasised that in those moments we needed to keep the door open. ‘We need to ask God for people with a heart for Him. Psalm 42:1 says. “As the deer pants and longs for the water brook, so my heart pants for you, O God.” And Psalm 63:1 has a similar thought. We need to ask God for a hunger and thirst for the Lord that brings learning, growth and a willingness to pay any price to follow Him. To not allow the world to squeeze us into its mould. Rather, as Hebrews 12 reminds us, “because we’re surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses … [to] run with perseverance.” At the end of the day, it comes down to people’s response to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Some people do obey like those in Hebrews 11. And some are like Demas who deserted Paul, mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:10. That’s where we need to pray that God will give us men and women who love Him and who don’t want to be beguiled by the things of this world.’
Taking in this wise counsel and meditating on these scriptures has reminded me of the presence of the Holy Spirit in my own life, the fruitfulness that comes from spending time with Jesus in His Word and the filling of joy that comes through both. It has helped me acknowledge the work that God is doing and is going to do in others so I need to simply keep sharing the gospel and discipling others with simplicity through the complexity of life.
As I finished our conversation, one practical application I walked away with is to pray more.
I hope sharing this conversation with Rob Bolton has been beneficial for you as well.
What’s your practical application? What questions do you have?
Find one of our seasoned Navigators and begin to ask your questions.
Tami Brown and her husband Scott, who is our current National Director, are part of our Sydney Labouring Community. They are also deeply involved in the Student Ministry at Macquarie University.
Rob Bolton has been a long-time labourer with The Australian Navigators and leads our South-East Queensland Labouring Community.
Featured image of deer silhouetted against a body of water during golden hour, photo by Gary Bendig, Unsplash.