Plodding On

Some weeks can be tough; things don’t go right, people don’t cooperate, the weather is not good, and things can go wrong. All we can do is trudge on during times like this. If we allowed discouragement to dictate our next move, we would stop, but we don’t listen to the negative voices in our heads. Instead, we trust that God is working even in this terrible trial we are experiencing.

Discouragement tells us to quit; we are not worthy and paints a picture of what we have done from the view of failure. Our enemy uses discouragement to get us to change our direction or, even worse, quit; instead, we plod on.

There is something to be said about just plodding on even when we are tired, discouraged, or confused. At that moment, we are bombarded by the accusations of people, and worst of all, Satan is the great accuser. But, plodders keep on going. They may go slow or backward for a while, but they don’t quit; they keep at it!

David describes a time when he struggled: “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold” (Psalm 73:2). This description could be for all of us. David tells us his thoughts and struggles in that Psalm, but at the end, he tells us what made the difference: “till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (Psalm 73:17). When David entered God’s presence, he realized how inaccurate his thinking was, and his perspective changed. If we keep plodding on until we hear from God, we, too, will see things from his perspective.

Isaiah gives us the secret to find strength in these difficult times with these marvelous words:

Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives strength to the weary  and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary,and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

 

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Overcoming Discouragement

Overcoming discouragement is one of the most important things all of us have to do in life. Discouragement and disillusionment almost always come after unfulfilled expectations. Several people in the Bible found themselves picking up the pieces of shattered dreams and even despaired of their lives. They were Job, Moses, Jeremiah, Jonah, and Elijah. Let’s take a look at Elijah so that we can see ourselves in his depression and sadness.

Elijah was an extraordinary character in the Bible, a man of extreme faith and courage. However, there is a scene where he is sitting under a broom tree, and this is what he says, “I have had enough, Lord…take my life; I am no better than my ancestors” (1 Kings 19:4). How did the prophet get to this place?

Three and half years prior, he announced to King Ahab a coming drought for the nation.  Then Elijah disappeared, and God miraculously provided for him during these years, first, by having ravens bring him food and then by sustaining him through the care of a poor widow woman. The scripture declares: “For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry” (1 Kings 17:16). Elijah even raised her little boy from the dead.

Later at God’s command, Elijah challenged Ahab and his 450 prophets of Baal to a showdown. The prophets would prepare a sacrifice and call on their God, he would do the same, and the God who answered by fire would be the one true God. Baal never responded to his prophets, but the God of Israel responded to Elijah’s prayer, “Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord-he is God! The Lord-he is God!”

(1 Kings 18:38-39).

Elijah was ecstatic, and he prayed for rain, and it came. He then outran King Ahab’s chariot in a twenty-mile race to the palace. Elijah expected things to be different now. Then came the moment he realized they were not. The furious Queen Jezebel sent Elijah this message, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them” (1 Kings 19:2-4). Elijah was overcome with fear, so he ran for his life. He ran until he could run no more and collapsed of fatigue, and there he asked God to take his life because he had had enough.

God sent an angel to minister to Elijah in his discouragement: The angel woke him up and gave him food to eat and let him rest. Then again, he woke him and gave him more food (1 Kings 19:5-7). God showed his love for the prophet is such a gentle way.

Several signs help us to discover why Elijah wound up in this state of depression: First, he was fatigued after traveling nearly 200 miles. When we fail to take care of our bodies, we are at risk. Second, he had isolated himself from everyone. When we cut ourselves off from others, we are in a dangerous position. Third, Elijah experienced a roller-coaster of emotions—highs and lows. Extreme emotions take a toll on us. We can’t live on feelings alone. Fourth, he experienced unmet expectations, which caused him to be disillusioned. Fifth, he experienced fear, which caused him to run for his life. Sixth, he felt guilt and shame, which are powerful forces if left unchecked. Seventh, this was a spiritual battle, and we need spiritual intervention from God to overcome a spiritual enemy that is seeking to destroy our lives.

Overcoming Discouragement

Our attitude today determines how we feel about tomorrow. Tomorrow’s outcome is determined by today’s choices. We are writing tomorrow’s script today. Tomorrow’s harvest is sown today in our words and deeds.

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem with the task of rebuilding the wall, his greatest challenge was helping the people overcome their discouragement. They would eventually build the wall in the face of opposition, but Nehemiah would have to inspire them to change their attitudes. At first, all they could see was the rubble. Their vision was so blurred they could not even imagine a finished wall for all the rubble.

When we are discouraged, we have a tendency to blow things out of proportion in a negative sense.  When we get negative, it really gets depressing, Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall” (Neh 4:10).

The rubble had become insurmountable. It had become an impossibility. What changed? It was the same rubble that had been there when they began the project, and now they were halfway finished. The difference is what discouragement does to a person. It was an exaggeration.

What happens with a person that is discouraged?  They carry with them an attitude that since everything is terrible with me, everything must be wrong with life.  Everything they look at is through the lenses of negativity.  They literally carry their feelings on their sleeves, and everything is terrible and getting worse.

The next thing that happened is that the people became fearful. Rumors were flying that an attack from the enemy was imminent. They saw enemies everywhere (Neh 4:11). Negative thoughts and negative talk motivated by fear and has the potential to grow fear exponentially.

Nehemiah’s response is remarkable because he encouraged the people by turning their attention away from their problems and their fear toward God. Listen to his words: After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes” Neh 4:14.

This is the hard part. It is called getting people to take their eyes off the problem and off themselves and help them look to God. You and I will always be afraid as long as we keep the problem front and center.

Nehemiah gives us some famous words when he said, “Remember the Lord, He is great and awesome” then fight for your families. When we remember who God is and how great he is, our fears melt away. When we remember to fight for our families because they are the most valuable thing in our lives on this earth, our attitudes change for the better. Your marriage is worth fighting for, no matter how hard it seems. Relationships with your sons and daughters are worth fighting for, no matter what has happened. The secret to overcoming discouragement is remembering God and being willing to fight for what is valuable in your life.