Having courage

"In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” - Isaiah 42:3-4

As we brace ourselves for the unveiling of the rest of 2023, it is good to remind ourselves that we put our trust in the One who will not falter or be discouraged. We will be discouraged at times, and we may even falter, but when we place our hand into the Lord's hand, then we know that we will be carried through these difficult times.

"Having courage does not mean that we are unafraid. Having courage and showing courage mean we face our fears. We are able to say, 'I have fallen, but I will get up.' - Maya Angelou

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Gone up in flames

                                                            

After discovering that twenty years of his work had literally gone up in flames William Carey wrote these words to Andrew Murray:

"The ground must be laboured over again, but we are not discouraged. We have all been supported under the affliction, and preserved from discouragement..."

And then he quoted from Psalm 46:10, where the Lord Himself says,

"Be still and know that I am God."

William Carey had spent 20 years translating parts of the Bible into various Indian dialects as he served as a missionary in India. Bearing in mind this was in the early 1800's, he had no computer backups at all. He must have been devasted - I know I would have been!

However, he had learnt a simple trust in Jesus and believed that even through trials God was still present. This is such a valuable lesson for me. What do you feel?

Have you ever faced a discouraging time only to see God's hand move in a different direction?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Discouraged

^"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!   I will praise him again—
my Saviour and my God" - Psalm 42:5

The Psalmist asks a very deep question in this Psalm - he wants to know why his heart has become discouraged and sad. Sometimes we experience the same feelings and we aren't even sure as to why we feel the way we do. It could just be an accumulation of things - like a dripping from a tap, that gets faster and faster, until it eventually bursts out like a dam.

I believe it is vital to acknowledge how we feel before we can start to heal. Once we come to the "why", then we can get stronger and stronger. In this case, the Psalmist chooses to praise God and to place his trust in the goodness of the Lord.
 

The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/discouragement

"The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'" - Billy Graham

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/discourageme

 

 

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Ezra - don't be discouraged

Ezra records how the people of Israel had to deal with lots of trouble and hardship as they tried to rebuild the Temple. There were people who pretended that they wanted to help, but actually just wanted to distract and disrupt the good work. These local residents did all the could to DISCOURAGE the people of Judah, but in the end God helped them to finish the task.

Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. ⁵ They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne." - Ezra 4:4-5

So, next time you are discouraged from your task or other people tried to distract you, remember who you are doing it for and trust in God's protection. Even though people may try and frighten us from the work, we need to persevere until the end! 

No plans of God can be frustrated!

Living in Grace
D3LM3