The Hand of Discouragement

“After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.  I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.  Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west.  No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

‘Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.  Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.’" (Joshua 1:1-9 NIV)

Discouragement can come in small amounts or in heavy doses.  It can come after an extreme high (think Elijah), or after a long, difficult period (think Joshua).  We are never immune to discouragement, no matter our circumstances.  I think this is why God exhorts us through the Scriptures ten times directly, “Do not be discouraged,” and indirectly many more times through the descriptions of His power and character.  Life in a fallen world can be very discouraging.  People disappoint us.  We disappoint ourselves.  Events go different than we planned.  Unforeseen things like illness and death plop down into our lives like uninvited guests.  Any of these can weigh on us and bring down the hand of discouragement to rest on us.     

The Scriptural prescription is always the same: Know the Lord your God will be with you.  Even under its full weight, the hand of discouragement need not crush us.  God is there and He will protect us and lift us back up.  The key is not to wallow in our discouragement, but to allow the Lord to lift us out of it.  Like a drowning man, we should not flail about in the water and keep the lifeguard at bay.  He is there to save us, but he can only do it if we cooperate with him.  

Today, if you are discouraged, do not lose heart.  Put your trust in the Lord because He is with you, and He will never leave you or forsake you, no matter your circumstances.

© Jim Musser 2012