Probably everyone reading this would admit to having been discouraged at some time in their life. Likewise, if we truly belong to Christ, we have experienced His encouragement too. It is well if we can recognize the sources of both of these, and thus hopefully avoid discouragement and enjoy His encouragement.
The Root of Discouragement
A basic root of discouragement is found in our expecting something and not receiving it, or at least not receiving it in the time and way in which we would like it. Usually we are expecting something from man, but sad to say, this can progress to our expecting something from God. When things do not turn out as we had hoped, discouragement may easily set in.
We all expect our fellow-man to behave toward us in certain ways, and this is a universal principle that applies both to believers and unbelievers. As Christians, because we belong to Christ, we tend to apply higher standards to our fellow-believers, since they too have new life in Him. We expect to see the fruit of that new life in others who are also in relationship with God and to experience the joy, the blessing and the encouragement that would normally flow from those walking in communion with the Lord. When this does not happen, our hearts can easily be downcast.
Elijah and Jonah
This happened in the case of Elijah who was raised up of God in the days of king Ahab to recall Israel (the ten tribes) from idolatry back to God. He endured a famine of more than three years, and then he boldly faced Ahab and faithfully upheld Jehovah’s claims. On Mt. Carmel he was the instrument God used to demonstrate His power over heathen gods and then to kill all the prophets of Baal. When all this resulted in Jezebel’s threatening his life, he became discouraged, and later he interceded against the people of God rather than for them, saying, “I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10). This was a failure that could not be passed over, and the result was that God told him to anoint Elisha to be prophet in his place. It is a solemn fact that this is the only failure of an Old Testament saint that is recorded in the New Testament. (See Romans 11:2424For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? (Romans 11:24).) All of this reminds us that we are not to expect something from man, even the brightest and best of them, but rather to have our thoughts and our eyes turned toward God.
However, even turning our eyes toward God may not be sufficient, if our hearts are not right. We may look to God, expecting something from Him, and yet have our thoughts far out of tune with His, and thus become discouraged if He does not do what we wish. We see an example of this in Jonah, who was sent to preach a message of judgment to the people of Nineveh. When the people of Nineveh repented, God showed mercy to them and withheld the judgment. Then we read, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry” (Jonah 4:11But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. (Jonah 4:1)). He became very discouraged and asked the Lord to take away His life. No doubt he eventually learned more of God’s heart, for the Lord used an insignificant gourd to teach him the value of a soul in His sight. The fact that he wrote the book about himself shows us that he learned the lesson.
God and His Word
What do we learn from all this? First of all, we learn that we are not to expect something from man, for we will surely be disappointed, sooner or later. To relate it to our dispensation of grace, if we are upset because our brethren are not more spiritual, this is only self, and not the heart of Christ. We must look to Him for our joy, our strength and our encouragement. Others may indeed encourage us, but they do this only to the extent that they bring Christ before us. When this happens, we can be most thankful for it, but if others fail, let us remember that our blessed Master never does.
Second, we learn that our thoughts must be formed by God’s Word and in the power of His Spirit. Even in divine things and in our Christian lives, we can easily allow our own thoughts to dominate us, instead of thinking God’s thoughts. Then, when the Lord does not act according to our thoughts, we can become discouraged. The natural man takes this attitude constantly, going all the way back to Cain and his offering, but even as believers, we must walk with the Lord so as to have our thoughts formed in His presence. If we do find that God is not acting as we thought He might, let us get on our knees and seek His face and allow Him to bring us into His way of thinking.
Encouraged, Not Discouraged
When we speak of encouragement, there are many ways in which God brings this into our lives, if we will let Him. The word “encouragement” does not itself occur in the New Testament in our KJV, but the word “consolation” is used a number of times and has much the same meaning in the original. Ultimately all encouragement must come from the Lord Himself, so that Paul could say to the Corinthians, “Our consolation also aboundeth by Christ” (2 Cor. 1:5). In writing to the Thessalonians, he could say, “God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.” We notice the uplifting language used in these verses — “aboundeth” and “everlasting,” showing us that when God encourages, it is not merely a bit of help, but rather the fullness of Christ and all God’s purposes for us in Christ being ministered to our souls.
The question may be asked, “Is the believer never to become discouraged, even in disheartening circumstances?” We answer a definite no, for no matter what may happen, whether to us or others, whether individually or collectively, we really do not have the right to be discouraged. It may be right to feel sad, but not discouraged. Another has commented that a truly humble Christian is never discouraged, for he has not looked within for anything, but rather outside of Himself, to God. Circumstances may be very trying, and faithfulness may not be appreciated by those who are unfaithful. More than this, there may be coldness and indifference and a declension in the collective Christian testimony, all of which tend to weigh down our own spirits. To be burdened about this, to feel it keenly in the Lord’s presence, even to shed tears — all of this is proper for the godly believer. But he should never be discouraged.
Not Losing Heart
In a number of places in the New Testament, believers are encouraged not to faint. The thought is that of not becoming discouraged — not losing heart, and the reasons given for not fainting are helpful for us in our day. In Luke 18:11And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (Luke 18:1), the Lord Himself spoke a parable to His disciples “to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” The subsequent story of the unjust judge shows us that God is at least as ready as sinful man to listen to His own and to judge their cause. So we, in our time, if we feel the tendency to become discouraged, are exhorted to pray. Prayer in this way does two things. First, it expresses our complete dependence on God, and thus our thoughts are turned to Him and away from ourselves and the situation around us. Second, in being brought into the presence of God through prayer, our own thoughts are adjusted with His, for prayer is based on the immense privilege of our having common interests with God. In His presence we are encouraged, while our thoughts and hearts are directed to see things from God’s side and not man’s.
In 2 Corinthians 4:1, Paul says, “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not.” In the previous chapter he has been bringing before the Corinthians the blessedness of having Christ written on the heart, of being an epistle of Christ in this world, and of beholding a risen Christ in glory. When all this is realized and enjoyed in the soul, we do not faint, even if we are not the epistle of Christ that we would like to be. If we do indeed “with open [unveiled] face” behold the glory of the Lord, we will gradually be changed “from glory to glory” and be more like Him. We will be given grace to renounce “the hidden things of dishonesty” (2 Cor. 4:2) and to remove everything that hinders that constant change that makes us more like Christ.
The Future Is Bright
Then, at the end of the chapter, Paul gives yet another reason not to faint. He says, “Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For this cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:14-16). If the Spirit of God is working to make us more like Christ now, the same power that raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will quicken the saints who sleep in Jesus and change our mortal bodies, so that when He comes for us, we shall all be with and like Him in a moment. Can we be discouraged, when the future is so bright? There may be plenty of trouble down here, both in the world and among God’s people, but there is no future for the believer down here. Scripture speaks only about one future for the believer—glory!
Let us then “look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). The days are dark, but the opportunities are great, and the future is bright. We have no cause to be discouraged!
W. J. Prost