A friend said to me, “I have no purpose and I feel so useless. What’s the point of my life, anyway?” And therein lies the epitome of discouragement.
She was not feeling sorry for herself nor did she cry out, “Woe is me.” She genuinely questioned how did her once vibrant life come to such a standstill.
I had read an article by Susie Larson of Faith Radio that addressed such a predicament in a believer’s life which I shared with my friend. Susie writes:
“Many times, the path that takes us to the promise is wrought with thickets and thorns. Nothing worth having ever comes easy or without opposition. Storms will come and lions will roar, and our fears will be confronted. God allows the path to be difficult because he intends on refining us and preparing us for our place of promise. He is intent on extracting from us that which our enemy would love to leverage against us – discouragement.”
God loves us too much to promote us before we are ready.
“And so, as we follow His lead, we will find ourselves at different times in a valley – a valley of decision. Dreams die there. It is unfortunate that many opt to let the dreams die before they discover the surety of a faithful Savior who calls us to follow Him.”
“We all have weak spots and areas of inconsistency in our character. Until we see Jesus face to face, we will need His guidance and correction. He wants to take us from strength to strength; from glory to glory.”
“Ephesians 3:20 tells us that He can do abundantly above and beyond all that we could ever ask or think, but there is a clincher in this verse… It’s according to his work within us. To the extent that He is allowed to work within us will be the extent that he does great things through us.”
“After pondering this idea a little more, I envisioned a valley of dry bones like the dry bones found in Ezekiel 37:1-14. Ezekiel’s vision illustrates that even when all hope stands at a standstill, God can bring spiritual and physical life to dead-looking situations.”
Don’t let the dream die in the valley.
“If you’re in a season of refining, lean in. Trust the loving hand of your faithful Savior and know that He will lead you to the other side. He will give you encouragement along the way. So seek to understand what the Lord is doing around you.”
“He will faithfully lead you, and you will be strengthened as you go. On the other side of this refining time is a fresh perspective and new mercies.”
My friend was cornered by the roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). But greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Be encouraged. Lift up your eyes and know – Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).
The outcome for my friend? The storm has passed from her. The roaring lion had to slink away. To God be all the glory!