Discouraged??

I failed to keep my commitment to post in June and for that I am sorry. There are times when it is difficult to find the words to say. Now is one of those times. There is so much going on in the world. From corona virus to quarantines to travel bans to protests and violence, if you watch the news at all it will make your head spin.

I know many missionaries are discouraged. Some are stuck on their field of service and had to cancel furloughs and other travel plans. Some are stuck in their home country and cannot return to their field of service. Being confined to your house for weeks and months on end adds its own kind of discouragement.

I mentioned on my personal blog recently that my devotional this year is New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp. The author had no way of knowing what would be going on in my life the year I chose to read his book. He had no way of knowing what I would be enduring on a daily basis as I read his entry for that day. But God knew. I have no doubt this year was the year God wanted me to read this devotional. The entry for today, July 1st, was so fitting for this time. God is faithful. He knows our need. He plans in advance to meet those needs before we are aware we will have them. I thought I would share the entry here with you. It is my prayer that it will be an encouragement to you.

__________

Does discouragement preach to you a false gospel that causes you to forget that your future has already been written into the pages of God’s book?

It is discouraging to face:

     your struggle with sin;
     the disloyalty of a friend;
     the rebellion of your children;
     the souring of your marriage;
     the division of your church;
     the temptations that seem to be all around you;
     the injustice that lives in this fallen world;
     the pain and worry of physical sickness;
     the loss of your job;
     the hardship of old age;
     or the death of your dreams.

Yes, it’s hard to face all of these things. It’s easy to lose your way. It’s tempting to wonder what God is doing, if he cares, and if he hears your prayers. It’s hard to hold on to his promises. It’s hard to stay committed to good spiritual habits. It’s hard not to give in to discouragement and give way to the desire to quit.

But in the face of discouragement, there is one thing that you need to remember. It is captured in just a few powerful words from Psalm 139: “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them” (v. 16). It is vital to remember, when trouble comes your way and discouragement begins to grip your heart, that every single day of your life was written into God’s book before you lived the very first of them. None of those days and none of the things that you have faced or will face in those days are a surprise to your Lord. He carefully authored the content of every one of those days with his own hand. He controlled every twist and turn of the plot that is your story. He introduced all the characters and determined all of the locations. Nothing will happen to you that he has not written into his book. And he has already determined how your story will end.

You see, what discourages you doesn’t surprise him because he authored it all with a glorious combination of wisdom and grace. Nothing is out of his control. Your Savior is sovereign. He knows what is best and will do what is best. This is where rest and courage are to be found when discouragement shakes the resolve of your heart.

For further study and encouragement: Psalm 135

Tripp, Paul David. New Morning Mercies . Crossway. Kindle Edition.

*The photo was taken at a flower park in our city in Japan.  It is wisteria, but in Japan it is called 'Fuji Flower.'