Let’s talk about discouragement. We all experience moments, and sometimes even seasons, of discouragement in our lives. People let us down. Plans get derailed. Circumstances don’t play out like we hoped. Pain overwhelms us. Or the pressures of life seem so heavy we can barely breathe.
And in those times, the voice of discouragement can scream so loudly in our minds that it drowns out the promises of God.
I’ve experienced times in my own life where even though I know what the Bible says, the discouraging nature of my circumstances hinders me from fully believing and trusting what God says is true.
As I was reading Exodus 6 recently, the Lord reminded me that this is not a twenty first century problem. Culture and technology may change over time, but the human heart wrestles with the same core struggles it has for thousands of years.
For those not familiar with this section of Scripture, I’ll provide some context.
In Exodus 6, we find the people of Israel living under the burden of Egyptian slavery. Day after day, Pharoah ruthlessly forced them to make bricks, and their situation had just gotten worse because he commanded their taskmasters to withhold the straw needed to make bricks while keeping their daily quota the same.
The people of God understandably felt discouraged, and they cried out to God with deep groaning. God heard their cries, and he instructed Moses to speak a promise of deliverance to the Israelites. Verses 6-8 of Exodus 6 record that conversation. God emphatically starts and finishes his message with the declaration that “I am the LORD” and in between he includes seven “I will” statements.
I will…
Bring you out
Free you
Redeem you
Take you as my own people
Be your God
Bring you into the promised land
Give it to you as a possession
What a promise! And when the LORD puts his name on a promise, it’s guaranteed to come to pass. One would assume that hearing this rallied the Israelites. That a resounding “let’s go!!!” ignited within them. That relief, encouragement, and hope flooded their souls.
Yet, notice their response in verse 9:
Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor (NIV).
They did. not. listen.
Life had gotten so anguishing and unfair for Israel that they rejected the Lordship of God and sank into unbelief and their unbelief kept them from listening to God’s amazing I will statements.
Israel had a mindset problem, not a hearing problem.
What the people of Israel needed, and what you and I need when we find ourselves crushed by discouragement, is to renew our minds. This is why Paul tells us in Romans 12: 2 to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV).
We are not unlike the Israelites in our tendencies toward discouragement, but we are also not unlike the Israelites in God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will for us. As sure as the Lord remained faithful to his promise to deliver his people out of Egypt and be their God, he has remained faithful to free us, redeem us, and be our God through his Son Jesus. And one glorious day he will bring us into the promised land of a perfectly restored heaven and earth.
I never want to discount the reality of the hard situations and circumstances in your life. However, I do want to encourage you (and me!) to “let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” so that the voice of discouragement has no power to drown out the promises of God. (Ephesians 4:23, NLT)
Prayer: God, guard us from allowing discouragement and hard circumstances to turn our ears deaf to your promises and our hearts hard to your Lordship. We ask you to renew our minds through the power of your Spirit. Amen
Love this!
Thanks Dawn!