Articles
Discouragement
Discouragement
And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go compass the land of Edom; and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way (Numbers 21:4)
On their way to Canaan, God’s people have been denied passage through the land of Edom and are having to go in a round about way that is most difficult causing them to become disheartened. They are dejected and depressed in spirit. Discouragement now replaces confidence leading them to murmur and complain (Num. 21:5-6).
As I think about God’s people of old becoming discouraged because of the difficulty they encountered, the question then becomes, will there ever be times when we will find the way we must walk a difficult one? The answer to that is a resounding, yes!
There will never be a time in our earthly sojourn when we will be completely free from difficulties that cause our hearts to be heavy and troubled. Our God has never, nor will he ever, place a hedge around us to prevent us from being subjected to those trials, burdens, cares and temptations that have the power to cause us to become discouraged. When our way is difficult and discouragement seeks to find a place in our heart, we need to stop for a moment and remember the goodness and lovingkindness of our God (Psalms 31:19, Romans 11:22, Psalms 63:3-4, Psalms 138:1-3).
Our God does see and knows all about the afflictions that strike our human frame making our way difficult (Hebrews 4:13-15). We have his promise that he will never leave us nor forsake us and we can boldly proclaim that the Lord is our helper (Hebrews 13:5-6). Some of the most comforting and reassuring passages for us to consider are found in Psalms 34: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears (vs, 4), The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears are open to their cry (vs. 15), The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all (vs. 17-19).” When the difficult times come, don’t panic, take it to the Lord in prayer (Hebrews 4:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Peter 5:6-7)
I may not know or understand many of the difficulties that fall down heavily upon me but one thing I do know is that the God I love and serve, the God I trust with all my being is in control of my life and so long as I am faithful to him, he will see me safely through any difficulty I encounter in this life (Psalms 23:1-6, Galatians 2:20). I believe this to be true for you also. Whatever difficulties we encounter on our journey down the pathway of life fade into insignificance when we consider the blessed hope that resides within us because of the unfailing promises of God (John 14:1-3, 2 Peter 1:2-4, Hebrew 6:16-20, Hebrews 5:8-9, Philippians 4:6-7, Romans 8:28, 31-39, Isaiah 40:28-31, Col. 1:12-14, Revelation 14:13).
Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit—Luke 12:35
Charles Hicks, Gallatin Tennessee
