June 2011 - Dealing With Discouragement

DEALING WITH DISCOURAGEMENT

Read II Chron. 32:1-23

Everyone can be victimized by discouragement. Any day could present situations that loom large and overwhelming. What does God want us to do when we have these very “human” moments? Too often we are guilt-tripped into thinking that we are to just “get over it” or “look at how much worse others have it.”

The Scripture has a better formula. In our passage we find Hezekiah, king of Jerusalem under siege by a large powerful army. The commander of the enemy forces sends threatening letters suggesting surrender because the “gods of the other nations were not able to save them, what makes you think yours will save you?” For us it seems that way too. Our problems are large, and our prayers seem to stop at the ceiling. We hear voices from within and without that remind us of the largeness of our problem. The visual evidence is overwhelming.

Hezekiah must have felt the same way. He responded by meeting with his prophet friend Isaiah and they both “cried out in prayer to heaven…” No mention of the specifics of the prayer and that may be the point. “What” he prayed isn’t the point. The heart that prayed is. The story ends well and Hezekiah reaped great blessing in his life.

So when discouragement comes, rather than sharpening your swords, or meeting with your generals, or running for a safe place, run TO your Lord, and fall empty before him. As in our text, he loves to show us how much he loves us when our heart comes to Him in our weakness.