I have never witnessed more discouragement that what I see now in the world around me. It never surprises me to see people who don’t know Jesus discouraged, but for Christians, this should not be.
I’m not saying that Christians are immune to discouragement, we certainly are not, but we should have a distinct advantage over those who are not Christians.
Our advantage is Christ himself. When I look intently upon Jesus – his life, his death, and his resurrection, I can’t help but be uplifted. I can’t help but be filled with joy. In the midst of that joy, I may still be sad, discouraged, or frustrated due to my current life circumstances, but I can still find encouragement in the midst of those circumstances, if I but look to Jesus.
Jeremiah wrote the book of the Old Testament that we call “Lamentations.” Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. Personally, Jeremiah was a joyous man, a prophet of God, but he lived at one of the saddest times in Israel’s history.
Jeremiah was an eye-witness of the fall of Jerusalem and wept as the nation of Israel was taken away into captivity. He was a prophet, in a long line of prophets, that begged Israel to turn back to God, but they would not.
Yet, despite the terrible circumstances that surrounded him, in the saddest book of the Bible, Lamentations, right in the middle of the depressing book, Jeremiah wrote:
Lamentations 3:21-26 – 21 This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. 22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.
How can Jeremiah be encouraged in the midst of his awful circumstances? Because He knows the Lord.
Observe his process:
Vs 21 – he stops and thinks – I recall to my mind
Vs 22 – he remembers the God he knows – lovingkindnesses never cease / compassions never fail
Vs 23 – every day he knows God is faithful even when his people are not – Great is Your faithfulness
Vs 24 – When he has nothing else, he understands he has God and God cannot be taken away by anyone or anything, and God alone is enough – “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul
Vs 25 – he will not allow himself to forget that God is always good to His faithful, even when they can’t see the big picture – The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him
Vs 26 – he knows in the end, God is going to save him – waits silently for the salvation of the Lord
Jeremiah knew all of this and he didn’t even know Jesus! God has demonstrated to us in a much more powerful way his great love and devotion to us. How much more should we be able to find encouragement in the midst of discouraging times?
Being encouraged isn’t always easy, but it’s worth fighting for.
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
