Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Palm 118:14-16 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things! The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
Psalm 27:14 Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
Discouragement. It’s a feeling that we all try to avoid, but one that seems to creep into our daily lives without invitation. Discouragement can even be seen in over and over again in biblical times. Old Moses had to feel discouraged multiple times while wandering through the wilderness for 40 years with all the complaining of those he was leading away from Egypt. They complained about lack of food, and God sent manna from heaven. They complained about lack of meat, and God covered the ground with quail. They complained about lack of water, and God caused water to spew out of a rock. God met their every need, yet they complained and complained. They even built and worshipped a golden calf instead of the one true God. Yes, Moses had his hands full with this motley crew! I can’t even imagine how discouraged he must have been, but he continued to follow the will of God. There are so many other examples of discouragement in the Bible, but each time, we see encouragement that can only be offered by our Lord and Savior.
We too live in discouraging times. If things don’t work out the way that we think they should, we get discouraged. If we don’t get that raise, the job we are hoping for, or even when we are having relationship struggles, we can easily get discouraged. It is easy to let those seeds of doubt overwhelm us, and we allow discouragement to take root within us. Soon we fall into Satan’s trap. Discouragement is the exact opposite of faith, and Satan loves to use any tool and tactic to make us doubt and fear and lose faith. If our minds are overwhelmed with doubt and fear and anxiety, we lose our focus on God. When we lose our focus on God, Satan begins to win. We get so caught up in the fears that we can’t see the grace and mercy that our Lord and Savior so willingly offers.
I’ll be honest, I have been guilty of letting discouragement creep into my life much more often than I desire. However, I have learned to not let it take root. I have found that when I stay rooted in the Word of God, discouragement can’t take root within me. Life gets hard. There are days that I come home from work, and I think, “I’m done. I’m spent.” I feel like I can’t even take one more step. The weight of the world is upon me. But then there’s God. Oh, but God! He gently reminds me that I am not going through life alone. I don’t have to save the world. That’s His job. I only have to be His servant and share His Word. When I feel that I am at my weakest, I only have to remember His promises and His Word. “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
I know that life is hard, Peeps, but please don’t let the difficulties of today bring you down. The Lord has promised good to His children, and He will see you through. He will meet the needs of His children just as a loving father cares for his family. He will not only bring you through, He will do it in such a way that you know that only God could have done so. He always works it all out for our good and His glory. Don’t be discouraged today. Seek the face of God, and you will find encouragement every time. Talk to the Savior. Tell Him your worries and concerns, and then just leave them right there at the foot of the throne, and wait. “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” The weight of the wait is heavy, but the Lord will make your burden light. It will all work out in His timing. Don’t be discouraged. Just wait on the Lord!
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 