I think that one of the most serious challenges that we face as Christians is discouragement. Most of us are subject to it at one time or another. When you think about it we are most often tempted to become discouraged when we fail. The experience of Elijah is a good illustration of this. After a mighty manifestation of God’s power on Mount Carmel, 1 Kings chapter 19 finds him running for his life to escape the wrath of the furious Jezebel. After fleeing for a days journey past the borders of Israel verse 4 says that he “….sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed and said, ‘It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” There many factors related to Elijah’s discouragement, (exhaustion, etc.), but the bottom line was that he was disappointed in his performance. Yes, God had been honored, He had displayed His power, and the people had acknowledged Him as the true God and Elijah as His prophet, but Elijah must have felt that he had failed. God had answered his prayer and turned the tide but Elijah had not stood his ground.
Perhaps another Bible character illustrates an even worse result of discouragement. Peter, along with the other disciples were convinced that Jesus was the long prayed for Messiah. Although Jesus had tried to prepare them they were completely unprepared for the Messiah to die on the cross. Matthew and John tell us the story of Peter’s reaction when Christ was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter, ready to die for Christ, whipped out his dagger and went into action, only to be rebuked by Jesus. “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Matthew 26:52. It must have seemed that his best intentions were not appreciated and he could not understand what Jesus was doing. Had God failed? Then later after denying Jesus three times Matthew says that he went out and wept bitterly. Verse 75.
I fear that often I allow discouragement to convince me that because I have failed that God has failed as well. True, there are times that our faith is weak, our actions go in the wrong direction, we truly fail. But that doesn’t mean that God has failed. And the history of both of these men remind us that God does not give up on us when we forger to trust in Him. Both had a lot of work to do in God’s service and were perhaps more effective because of the lessons learned. Lord keep us strong. But when we fall pick us up and restore your spirit within us.
