This is the message the Lord has for you right now. Keep doing for the Lord what you are doing for Him. Of course, for this our hearts must be in tune with the Lord Jesus – not falsely, but honestly committed to Him. Sometimes we think that we are doing something for Him, whereas it is really for our own interests. However, do not get discouraged even if that is the case. Confess all to Him, humble and cast yourself on Him, asking His help. He is the Faithful One, wanting to help you to be faithful.

Sometimes we think that what we are doing for the Lord is not important. That’s a trick of the enemy to make us stop or give up. Let me share with you the story of a father who was distributing tracts with his young son. There was one more house left to go to, but it was a bit farther down the road. The father was tired and wanted to go home, but his son said, “Let me just go and run to that house and bring this tract.” He ran, and as soon as he arrived he rang the bell at the door. A lady opened the door and accepted the tract. Later they found out that this person had been on the verge of committing suicide, but when the bell rang, she decided to see who was at the door. The Lord used this boy, who did not want to give up, to stop this lady from taking her own life, which the boy didn’t know, of course. God then used the tract to save her soul for eternity. Let this sink in for a moment. The Lord stopped this lady from committing suicide. He then used the tract from the boy to communicate the message of salvation. Through His Spirit, He made her reflect on the message and, finally, to surrender her life to Him. Discouragement is a trick the enemy often uses; it is a tool in his arsenal to stop us, or worse, to have us completely give up. “Never give up!”

Hagar
Abraham and Sarah had acquired a servant girl in Egypt, as a gift from Pharaoh. Her name was Hagar (Gen. 12:16, 16:1). According to Sarah’s plan, Hagar became Abram’s concubine so that an eventual baby boy by Hagar would be considered to be Sarah’s son. But this was not God’s plan! When Hagar expected a baby, Sarah treated her harshly, so Hagar fled into the wilderness. The Angel of the Lord met Hagar there and told her to humble herself and go back to Sarah, her mistress. You see, it was because of discouragement that Hagar fled. Right there, in her distress, the Lord met her and asked her from where she came and where she was going (v.8) – two important questions for everyone. Hagar answered that she was fleeing from her mistress. The Angel told her to humble herself and go back to Sarah, which she did. The well was called Beer Lahai-Roi, “You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees” (v.13 NKJV). According to the Angel’s instructions, Abram called the baby boy she bore him Ishmael, meaning “God hears” (vv.11,15).

About 16 years later Hagar took her son and fled again. Why? This time, it was because Sarah told Abraham to send her away with her son because Ishmael had mocked his young half-brother Isaac, Sarah’s only son she had with Abraham. On this new journey Hagar was running out of water once more. Being in the wilderness without any resources, she got really discouraged and started to cry (21:16), expecting her son to die soon. In this desperate situation the Lord heard her son cry, and the angel of God showed Hagar a well and encouraged her in her distress (vv.17-19). The Lord had noticed her discouragement and provided for her and her son, even showing her His future plans (v.18).

If you are discouraged, don’t feel ashamed of yourself or your circumstances; tell the Lord about your problem. He wants you to speak out to Him, telling Him everything.

Moses
God appeared to Moses several times and gave him a long training, first for 40 years in man’s school in Egypt (Ex. 2) and then in God’s school in the wilderness of Midian for another 40 years (Ex. 3). The Lord was preparing Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, through the wilderness and toward the Promised Land. With the people in the wilderness, everyone was tested – even Moses, and he failed. We remember Adam and Eve miserably failed even though they found themselves in the most pleasant circumstances of the garden of Eden (Gen. 3). There, Satan seduced Eve, while Adam transgressed. Yet we find a great contrast in the Lord Jesus, our perfect Model and Leader (see Heb. 12:2). He was the only One who never failed, even after 40 days in the wilderness without any resources (Mt. 4:1-11).

At one point Moses, the man of God, was ready to completely give up, “I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me” (Num. 11:14). However, the Lord Jesus persisted to the very end, always faithful. He never complained and never gave up. We do not seek to find fault with Moses, but our point is that even as a man of God he experienced discouragements and was sometimes disillusioned.

After Israel’s failure with the golden calf (Ex. 32), God told Moses that He would not go up with them to lead them to the Promised Land (33:1-3). However, the people humbled themselves, and God met with Moses outside the camp on a regular basis, communicating to him His thoughts (vv.10-17). After some time He answered Moses’ request to see His glory, but only from behind (vv.18-23). Moses had asked for this because he wanted to understand how it was possible that God could change His mind and was willing to go with them after He had first refused to do so.

Elijah
It is interesting to note that the New Testament does not comment on the failures of the so-called heroes of the faith mentioned in Hebrews 11. Generally speaking, it does not even suggest any faults with them. Perhaps the only exception is Elijah, who accused God’s people (Rom. 11:2-4). God used that accusation to show Elijah that He had a plan which was not based on the people’s rights or on their good deeds, but on God’s undeserved sovereign grace (Heb. 11:4-6).

After several years of faithful ministry amid much unfaithfulness in Israel, Elijah managed to get all the people together to consider God’s rights. This was upon God’s instructions to the prophet, because King Ahab, pushed by his wife Jezebel, who had come from Tyre and Sidon, had promoted the worship of Baal among the Ten Tribes. This form of idolatry was worse than what King Jeroboam had done (1 Ki. 12:25—13:34). Jezebel had introduced and forcefully promoted the worship of Baal, which replaced the true God completely. That is why Elijah challenged the people to choose between Baal or Jehovah. He placed the evidence before them, as the true God would answer by sending fire from heaven onto the sacrifice on the altar (18:38). This is what actually happened, a very impressive story! The false prophets were killed.

However, Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah. Hearing this message, he fled, going on a 40-day journey to the mountain of God (19:8). There, the prophet had to learn important lessons (vv.9-18), about which the apostle Paul elaborated in much detail (please read Rom. 9).

Regarding Jezebel’s threats, the people’s failures, the long wilderness journey and Elijah being tired, the Lord in His grace provided what Elijah needed. Yet, in his discouragement the prophet complained about God’s people, and he started to find fault with God and His people instead of with himself. God used this discouragement to wake him up and to make him realize that the true remedy was not in blaming others. That is when God showed the prophet to put his trust in the God who had preserved a remnant of 7,000 that had not bowed the knee to Baal. Elijah needed to shift focus from himself to God! What about you?

On The Mount Of Transfiguration
It is interesting and encouraging to read how Moses and Elijah were privileged to meet the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mt. 17:1-8). Both Moses and Elijah were great men of God and had served Him while going through great trials. Yet, both also went through great stress and disappointment. I say this especially to those who may feel discouraged or may think that the Lord does not care for them in their disillusionments or disappointments. However, He cared for Moses and He cared for Elijah – even when he was at his wit’s end.

Remember also that disappointments are God’s appointments! He uses the difficult circumstances you are going through, or disappointments and trials, to do you good. Israel was led by God through the wilderness, but His plan was to do them good at long last (Dt. 8:16). God is the Same, yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 1:12, 13:8). We can count on Him: He will see us through!

Following this article is a song to call to mind when you are discouraged. Read it, meditate on it, and sing along.

By Alfred Bouter