Trials and Discouragements

Question: Are you tired of trying to figure out what is going on in your Christian life?  Sometimes in our walk with the Lord we may run into what we might call a dilemma.  We may be pretty sure we are going in the right direction, but it seems that the doors keep closing, and we just can’t figure out what is going on.  Sometimes we can get very discouraged, to the point where we just don’t know what to do or which direction we should go.  

I want to stop here and say this, I know I have written on this subject not long ago, but I feel like someone may need to hear more on the topic; I know we can all use some encouragement when we find ourselves in this situation.  This may not be what you are dealing with, or ever had to deal with, but just in case you have this may be useful to remember.  If you are being affected by trials and possibly doubt and discouragement, I would like to encourage you to hang in there.  You are not alone, there are examples of this in the Word of God.  

I could emphasize Job’s situation, when he lost most everything that he had but he never cursed God with his mouth.  One thing he did do was question God and even cursed the day he was born.  I will put down here some of Job’s complaint, please read Job 10:1-15, “I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak out of the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; tell me why You contend with me.’ Is it good for You to oppress, to despise the work of Your hands, while You smile on the plans of the wicked? Do You have eyes of flesh? Do You see as a human being sees? Are Your days like those of a mortal, or Your years like those of a strong man, that You should seek out my iniquity and search out my sin, though You know that I am not guilty, yet there is no one to deliver from Your hand? ‘Your hands molded and fashioned me, will You now destroy me completely? Remember You fashioned me like clay; will You return me to dust? Did You not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and steadfast love, and Your care has preserved my spirit. ‘Yet these things You have hid in Your heart, for I know that this is with You. If I sinned, You would watch me, and not acquit me of my iniquity. If I am guilty, woe to me! Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and conscious of my affliction.”

Job had no idea why he was going through what he was experiencing but he knew he didn’t enjoy it, to say the least.  If you want to put yourself in Job’s shoes for a better understanding of all the things Job experienced, read the whole book of Job, pray and let the good Lord speak to your heart.      

Joseph is another example of someone that must have wondered what was going on in his life.  Joseph was the son of Jacob, in his old age, and because of that he was also his favorite.  When the other sons became aware of it, they hated him and couldn’t speak peaceably to him.  As time went on Joseph had two dreams.  In his dreams his father and his mother and his eleven brothers would bow down to him, which didn’t go over well, so his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the speech in mind.  Think of this, Joseph has these two dreams that he would become the greatest in his family and they would honor him, but not long after that he gets sent to his brothers by his father to see how they are doing while they were tending their father’s sheep.  When the brothers saw him, they plotted to kill him, but his brother Rueben heard of it and rescued him out of their hands, so they did not kill him.  Instead they stripped him of his tunic that his father had made for him and threw him into a dry pit, then they sat down to eat bread.  When they looked up there was a Caravan of Ishmaelites with their camels going to Egypt, so they decided to sell Joseph to them instead of killing him, so they did.  You talk about things going all wrong, think about how Joseph may have felt, and that is just the beginning.  After this they take him to Egypt, and he is sold to Potiphar who was the commander of the bodyguards in Pharaoh’s Military and he became his personal servant and was made the overseer in the house.  One day Potiphar went on a trip and his wife wanted Joseph to lie with her, but he wouldn’t, and she kept it up day after day trying to wear him down, in the end she grabbed his cloak and he ran out without it.  When her husband came home, she lied about Joseph and Joseph ended up in prison.  

God was with him all the time and blessed him continually.  Just think about how you would feel if these things happened to you.  To make a long story shorter, and if you don’t know the whole story you should read all of it.  Pharaoh had two dreams with the same interpretation, and they troubled him and no one could interpret them for him, so Joseph was released from prison to interpret the dreams which he did and when it was all said and done he became the most important person, outside of Pharaoh himself, in all of Egypt.  Because of the famine in the land which was part of the dreams that Pharaoh had, it wasn’t long and people were getting desperate because they were running out of food.  As a result of this taking place, Egypt was the only place that anyone could buy grain, and no one could buy any without Joseph allowing it to take place.     

Because of what was happening, Jacob sent Joseph’s brothers, except the youngest which was Benjamin, to buy grain.  When they stood before Joseph they bowed in reverence, but they didn’t know it was Joseph, then after that their Dad went down and bowed down before Joseph also.  Now there is more of the story that I left out, but I think you got the message.  Joseph’s dreams came to be a reality, but it sure took some twist and turns, you might say.  When Joseph had the dreams years earlier, I’m sure he was very excited, but he didn’t know what he would experience before these things would take place.

And what about Job, he was blind sighted, you might say, but God came through in both cases and if we don’t give up and throw in the towel, God will also come through for me and you!!  Remember this; just before a breakthrough, the forces of darkness may break out against us and just run havoc amongst us, but in the end, we will be victorious if we don’t give up.

Think about what Joseph said when his brothers realized who he was, he said this in Genesis 50:19-21, “But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. For am I in the place of God? Yes, you yourselves planned evil against me. God planned it for good, in order to bring about what it is this day—to preserve the lives of many people. So now, don’t be afraid. I myself will provide food for you and your little ones.’ So he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.”

Enough said, may you and yours have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours with His perfect peace, love and joy and health and happiness!!