I Was There

Throughout the Bible we see a vast history of hurt, hardship, abuse and trial after trial. These stories have become a vital part of our history. As we read and learn these stories, we see how each of them overcame the worst of things. From Joseph being betrayed by his own brothers for death, to Jesus being sacrificed on the cross for our sins. I can’t help but wonder how often each of them felt discouraged.

In the world we live in today we are still facing so many of these same trials just in different ways, and for me personally sometimes I really feel discouraged. I find myself asking God, haven’t I gone through enough for one lifetime? Why does there always have to be something more lurking around the next corner. I know many of you in this room have faced some of the same things as I have. We all know how hard it is to feel like we are constantly stuck in battle after battle. When I think about how discouraged I am about the next battle, then the next battle then the next battle, my memory then turns to Joseph. Joseph was loved very much by his father but hated by his brothers. His brothers sold him into slavery and told their father he was killed by an animal. In slavery he seemed to have success, but then was lied about and thrown into prison, then when helping other fellow prisoners he was forgotten about. Joseph seemed to have battle after battle thrown at him, so I have to think, how often did he feel discouraged? How often did he ask God. Why? Why do these things keep happening when I am not doing anything wrong? Why do I keep facing trial after trial when I am faithfully following you?

I can imagine these thoughts crossed his mind just as they do for many of us. But there is one thing about Joseph that stands out the most to me and has been my anchor for many years. When Joseph finally faced his brothers again and looked at the many trials he had walked through, he no longer hated, he no longer asked why. Because God told him why he went through each of those trials. In Genesis 50:20 Joseph told his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

In my childhood, I went through some of the worst things imaginable, and for most of my life I lived in fear. However now I can look at my past and say as Joseph said. What the enemy meant for harm God meant for good, for the saving of many lives. I fully believe that what I experienced and what God brought me through I will be able to use to help many women. All because God showed me how.

God has spoken throughout the entire Bible telling us not to fear, and not to be discouraged. We all are facing and will face many trials in this world. But God is calling us not to be discouraged. God is calling us not to fear. God tells us in Joshua and many other places that he goes with us, that he goes before us. God wants us to be strong in him, he wants us to lean on him in these times of discouragement. God wants us to know he is our very present father and will not let us go. But also we need to keep in mind that yes these trials are hard and sometimes awful but what God allows us to walk through could be the saving of many lives through our love and testimonies.

Now I know I say it often, really every time we meet. I say this not to be redundant, but I say this because I fully believe with all of my heart the vital importance of these 3 things. In order for us to overcome our fears, our discouragement, get through our trials we need 3 vital things.

First, we need to be in daily Bible study. I know for a lot of people the thought of adding one more thing on to your daily to-do list just seems impossible, but daily Bible study should not be a to-do, it should be a priority. Being in God’s Word will shift your perspective and grow you closer to God giving you the tools you need to not be discouraged.

Second, we need to be in daily prayer. God ask us to be in relationship with him, and to have any sort of relationship you need to talk to each other. God talks to us primarily through his word and ask us to talk to him through prayer. The more we pray the more Intune with God our hearts become, we then can be filled with an unexplainable peace that can only come through knowing our God.

Third, is community. Being in Christian community is a huge priority in our lives. We all have families we love dearly, husbands, parents, and children. But having Christian friends who help us grow in our faith is important. We need friends to be by our side when we get discouraged, we need friends we can call when life feels just a little to heavy. We need friends to point us back to God when we falter. As it says in Proverbs 27:17 as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. We need to be sharpening each other.

So today as we gather together, lets ponder on the discouragement for a moment and ask God to show us where we need to be growing our faith. Do we need to work on our daily bible study, prayer our community? Let God show you where he is trying to lead you to help you through whatever discouragement you are facing.