There’s no telling what a person carries within him or herself. No one really knows the pains one has experienced in life, how much one has suffered or how deep the hurt may go. No one knows through what a person is going while not giving up. If we are really honest, no matter the front we all may have before others, everyone has had matters in life that can be termed negative, hard, heartbreaking and discouraging. No one is immune to trials and temptations; how each one deals with what such brings to life is what makes us unique.
Those issues of life that bring such to a person may not always have to be life-threatening or fall in a severe category. We can be towers of strength at one time, but at another time, we may break down over similar matters. The cumulative effect of trials can wear one down as well. How much seems to be too much can depend on a great many factors, but it happens. Even some of God’s most faithful servants at times found themselves discouraged and in need of strength. Elijah needed God to help him regain a positive outlook on his ministry (1 Kings 19:4). The apostle Paul had times in his life when God encouraged him not to give up (Acts 18:9; 23:11).
Not letting go of God is a key ingredient in finding one’s way out of the struggles of life. Satan’s great tool of discouragement is often tied to the deception that God doesn’t care, that He isn’t faithful to His promises and that a person must go it alone. We will face defeat if we try to live only in our own strength, rather than in the strength of the Lord (Ephesians 3:16). Jesus is with us always (Matthew 28:20). God never leaves us or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). He gives us each other for support and encouragement (Hebrews 10:24). “The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
We must be careful how we approach others who wrestle with the issues of life as they seek to live the Christian life. We don’t know what it’s like to be other people, to have their life experiences, their feelings or their weaknesses. No matter how deep the pain may be or the degree of suffering one experiences, God is always there, offering His help to overcome. “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31). We can find that help in prayer, in His Word, in serving, in worship, in fellowship and in all that keeps our focus on Him and eternity. Isolation, turning ourselves inward, only allows Satan to exploit our fears and doubts. We should never sever our relationship with God, who offers us His help if we come to Him, trust Him and take advantage of what He provides.
Our challenge in all this is to allow God be God in our lives. Don’t be surprised that, if God isn’t an integral part of your life, worldliness and discouragement will win battles you face. We weren’t meant to go it alone. Even Paul, writing to Timothy in his last letter, awaiting what would turn out to be his demise, could say, “At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me” (2 Timothy 4:16-17). No matter what, the Lord will stand with us. May we encourage each other to remain committed in our faith, to have confidence in God and each other, and to know He is working His purposes out in our lives, for that which will last an eternity. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
