Remember Your God
Hebrews 13: 5; “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
When you are faced with obstacles and discouragement, you may need to reassess your situation. Second, you need to remember your God. You recall the story of Peter in Matthew 14. He saw Jesus standing on the water, and he climbed out of the boat and started walking toward Him. As Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, everything was fine. But when he took his eyes off the Lord and started looking at the sea, he began to sink. Whenever we take our eyes off the Lord and start looking at the negative circumstances around us, we are certain to sink into discouragement. That is what the Israelites did, they took their eyes off God and started looking at their enemies.
What does it mean to remember the Lord? First, when you are faced with an insurmountable problem, recall the great and awesome power of God. Thing about it – with a single word. God was able to fling this entire universe into existence. If God is powerful enough to do that, don’t you imagine He is powerful enough to take care of the situation you are facing? Recall the power of God. To remember God also means to reflect on the promises of God. He promised to make Nehemiah successful in his effort. God has made some promises to you as well. One of His greatest promises is found in Hebrews 13: 5. Do you recall the story in Numbers 13 – 14 when Moses sent the twelve spies into the promised land? All twelve spies came back with the same observation. They said, they were giants in the land. But they also came back with two very different conclusions. Ten of the spies said, Because there were giants they could not succeed. But Joshua and Caleb said, Yes there were giants there but that they could overtake them. What was the difference between the two groups? They were using different yardsticks to assess their situation. The ten negative spies were measuring the giants by their own stature, but Joshua and Caleb were measuring the giants by God’s stature. Whatever the problem you are facing, are you measuring that problem by your own ability or by god’s ability? One key to overcoming discouragement is to remember who God is. Remember His power and remember His promises.
Third when you are battling the blahs, there comes a time when you have to return to your work. Sometimes the best way to deal with discouragement is to return to your wall, each one to his own work. It is when we are sitting on the sidelines that we are most likely to become discouraged. If God had given you a dream, do not be surprised when discouragement sets in. Reassess your situation, remember your God and get back to work.