Discouragement

God Promises Action

In the previous chapter Moses became very discouraged and  began to question why God had put him in this situation and then why he had not delivered His people. When we are discouraged it is very easy to be tempted to question God and wonder why He hasn’t taken care of …

The Lord Appears to Elijah

Evidently Jezebel had not been present on Mount Carmel, so Ahab reported to her what had taken place. Whether or not Ahab had thoughts of revenge is unstated. However, when Jezebel heard that her prophets had been put to death she was furious. Attacking the problem, she sent a …

God Will Restore Israel

The design the elders of Israel was promoting among the people was that being scattered in various nations they should lay aside all their peculiarities and conform to those among whom they lived; but God had told them that this design should not be (v. 32). Now, in these …

David Questions God as to Why He Has to Suffer

The Psalmist asks three troubling questions (vv. 9-11) in faith, for he remembers that God is his Rock, his protector, and foundation. He cannot help but hope in Him in the middle of difficult circumstances. This passage suggests some sort of betrayal, most likely involving …

Discouraged But Not Forsaken

The nation’s sin was so much a part of their living that judgment had to come. God told Jeremiah that even the prayers of Moses and Samuel could not stop His judgment (v. 1). Judah had passed the point of no return in her dealings with God. The fate of the people was sealed. Destr …

Job is Sick at Heart

Job launches into a complaint about his sufferings. His friends mock him (vv. 1-15), his body hurts him (vv. 16-19), his God has deserted him (vv. 20-23), and his hope has fled from him (vv. 24-31). To suffer extreme loss as Job did was humiliating. Job had lost his family, posse …

IllustrationGeorge Whitefield on Discouragement

English evangelist George Whitefield (1714-1770) learned that it was more important to please God than to please men. Knowing that he was doing what was honoring to the Lord kept him from discouragement when he was falsely accused by his enemies. At one point in his ministry, W …

IllustrationA Legend Where Satan Sells His Tools

There is a legend that Satan decided to get rid of a number of his tools, so he arranged an auction. There were envy, deceit, malice, sensuality, enmity, thoughtlessness, and many other tools which Satan had used successfully (priced very low). One piece, marked very high, was la …

IllustrationFalwell – Never knew God to Use a Discouraged Person

I once heard Dr. Jerry Falwell say, “I have never known God to use a discouraged person.” (Lou Nicholes in Ezekiel – The Exiled Prophet). …

IllustrationSign – Why Walk Around Half Dead?

Dr. Park Tucker, former chaplain of the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, told of walking down the street in a certain city, feeling low and discouraged and worried about life in general. As he walked along, he lifted his eyes for a moment to the window of a funeral …