Doubt, Discouragement, and Hopelessness

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Christ followers are not exempt from doubt, discouragement and hopelessness. But there are good and bad ways to work through them. The worse possible scenario, in my mind, is to succumb to victimhood and begin to wallow in self-pity. Unless you are careful, that seems to be the default attitude in today’s culture. And if that has happened to you, you are not alone. We’ve seen in happen in the lives of great men of the Bible as well. We should learn from them!

Take Elijah for example. Probably the highlight of his ministry came atop Mt. Carmel when God gave him a great victory over Ba’al, the god of the Phonecian prophets. Soon after that great victory, Elijah was running from Queen Jezebel who threatened to kill him. (See 1st Kings 19)

He ran from Carmel to Be’er Sheva [Beersheba], stopped and sat under the shade of a tree, and in a state of despair and discouragement, prayed to die. The last line of his lament reveals his hopelessness, “And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (1st Kings 19:10).

In a state of victimhood, he became emotionally, physically, and spiritually spent, which led to an overwhelming sense of self-pity, and loneliness. The question I ask is, had God abandoned Elijah? ABSOLUTELY NOT! God was just as close to Elijah in the desert as He was with him on the mountain top. He lost sight of the truth that God will not leave, abandon, or forsake His people.  

What do you do at times when you lose confidence and doubt God’s faithfulness? This is where truth must reign over emotions. While you may not always feel or sense God’s presence, or understand your circumstances, you can take God at His Word! And the truth of the matter is that He will never leave or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5), and His good will will always be accomplished in you (Romans 8:28).