As we travel the road between salvation and our final destination, we encounter various distractions.
One of the many weapons formed against us is discouragement. I think it is Satan’s shiniest tool. It seems to me that the enemy of our souls holds out a false hope tailored just for us and then cuts it down like a tree leaving us astonished, confused, and heartsick.
“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)
“He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.” (Job 19:10.)
Sometimes this hope comes disguised as an angel of light but in reality, it is not at all what it claims nor appears to be.
So, what do we do when our tree is cut down? What do we do when our hope is deferred or taken away completely? What do we do when the thing we were expecting disappears in a moment of time? What do we do with the pain in our hearts? What do we do when our expectations have been cut off?
Does faith in God take away our pain? Does our lingering heartache tell us that we don’t really believe in God? What does the Word of God say about it?
The apostle Paul said at one time that he despaired of life itself.
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:” (2 Corinthians 1:8)
Jesus Christ too was rejected. He said that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)
Our apostle tells us… “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;” (Philippians 1:29)
So it is not wrong to hurt, it is not wrong to suffer; in fact, it seems that it comes with the territory.
This is what helps me:
All these earthly expectations will someday be done away with and while I am here, I need to focus on Christ, for my expectation is from Him.
“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” (Psalms 62:5)
“He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” (Psalm 62:6-8)
“I can pour out my heart before him. I can thank him, for his ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts my thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8~9)
If my hope is in the eternal and not in the earthly then all will be well. (See Proverbs 10:28)
Not so for the lost ..for their hope (which is nothing but earthy) shall perish. (See Proverbs 11:7)
My expectation, if placed on the eternal will not be cut off. (See Proverbs 23:18)
We as believers are waiting for that blessed hope. To meet the Lord in the air and forever be with Him!
We are saved by hope. Saved from despair and discouragement as we learn to be contented in what we have and set our affections on things above and not on this earth. (Romans 8:23-25, Colossians 3:1~4)
The antidote to discouragement when our circumstances go haywire resulting in a broken heart is to replace it with a heart of thanksgiving. God who sees the end from the beginning knows what is best for us. If he is withholding something it is because he loves us.
And yes, we as grace believers can still hang on to Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
What a relief it is to leave it with the Lord, to take it to the Lord in prayer, to rest in the fact that He is all-knowing and we are not. That He can do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we ask or think!
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” (Ephesians 3:20)
So the answer to discouragement is to get to know more and more the one that loves us most. To lean on the everlasting arms. To not be bitter but rather to be thankful for all the things we have as believers in Christ. To walk by faith. To walk worthy of our high calling in Christ Jesus. To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge (Ephesians 3:19) will bring us to a place where we can cast all our cares upon Him and then the peace of God that passes all understanding shall keep our hearts and our minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” (Ephesians 3:20)
“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)
I pray that the desires of my heart line up with the desires of God’s heart and that all my expectations are from Him, for then my expectations will never be “cut off”.
I will end with a quote I like from Ray Wylie Hubbard. “The days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, I have really good days.”
Please pray for one another that we all keep these things in mind in these crazy times.
Ernie Schierbeek
Holland, MI
Monday, February 3, 2025
Resources For Further Study
God’s Provision For Discouragement (YouTube Message)