Peace in Times of Discouragement
Read Genesis 40 A discouraged minister once dreamed that he was standing on top of a great granite rock, trying to break it with a pickaxe. Hour after hour he worked on with no result. At last he said; “It is useless; I will stop.” Suddenly a man stood by him and asked, “Were you not allotted this task and if so, why are you going to abandon it?” “My work is in vain; I can make no impression on the granite,” was the minister’s reply. Then the stranger solemnly replied, “That is nothing to you; your duty is to pick, whether the rock yields or no. The work is yours, the results are in other hands; work on.”[i] I know how it feels to be discouraged or frustrated. I forget the God whom I serve “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” In my despair and discouragement I lose focus on who is in charge. Sometimes I even begin to feel like God has let me down. However, in our discouragement we can be reminded:
[i] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (337). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.
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Jeff has been in ministry for well over two decades. He currently serves as Campus Pastor at West Bradenton Baptist Southside Campus in Bradenton, Florida.
Jeff Has authored an Advent Devotional (The Advent of Jesus) and a devotional on the book of James (James: Where Faith and Life Meet). Both are available on Amazon. He is married to Carrie and they have four children, Micaiah, Gabe, Simon, and Berea. Preview or purchase Jeff's Books
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