Dear Friends,
There are seasons in life when discouragement seems to settle over the soul like a heavy cloud. You may smile in the presence of others while quietly carrying a burden that few people know about. You may pray yet feel as though heaven is silent. You may find yourself wondering how much longer you can keep going.
If that is where you are today, I want to speak to you not only as a pastor, but also as someone who understands what it means to walk through seasons when we must lean completely upon the grace of God. Please remember this: Your discouragement does not mean that God has abandoned you. The pages of Scripture are filled with men and women who loved God deeply and yet experienced profound seasons of discouragement, weariness, sorrow, and uncertainty.
In Psalm 42:5, David cried out: “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Elijah became so discouraged that he wanted to die. Yet God did not condemn him. Instead, He met Elijah beneath the juniper tree. He gave him rest. He provided nourishment. And He spoke to him with tenderness.
Jeremiah wept. Moses became overwhelmed. Job endured losses almost beyond imagination. Even the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:8–9: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.”
And yet, none of these stories ended with despair. God was still writing their story. And He is still writing yours. The same God who met Elijah in his exhaustion can meet you in yours. The same God who sustained David in his valleys can sustain you in yours. The same God who carried Paul through his afflictions can carry you through whatever you are facing today.
God Sees What Others Cannot See
Perhaps the people around you do not understand the weight you are carrying. Perhaps you have grown tired of explaining it. Perhaps you have reached the point where you simply say, “I’m fine,” because you do not know what else to say. Take heart, because God knows. He sees the tears you never shed in public. He hears the prayers you can barely put into words. He knows the disappointment, the loneliness, the unanswered questions, and the battles that no one else sees.
King David gives us a beautiful picture of God's tender compassion in Psalm 56:8 (NLT): “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” What a precious thought! Your tears are not invisible to God. Your sorrow is not insignificant to Him. Your pain is not forgotten in His presence. Every tear represents a moment in your journey—a moment of grief, loss, disappointment, suffering, loneliness, or pain—and Scripture reminds us that God sees each one. As earthly parents ache when their children are suffering, so our Heavenly Father cares deeply for His children. He is not distant or indifferent toward your pain. He is compassionate toward you.
Faith does not mean you never become discouraged, though sometimes we mistakenly think that is the case. I can remember many times when I have fallen short, become weary, or failed God. Yet through every season, I discovered the faithfulness of the Lord. His mercies have never failed, just as Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us: “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Having faith does not mean that:
you never cry
you never become weary
you will never stumble or fail
you understand everything God is doing
Sometimes faith is simply saying: “Lord, I don't understand this. I don't know how I am going to get through it. But I am going to place myself into Your hands.”
Jesus Says, “Come to Me.” He never said, “Come to Me when everything in your life is going well.” He said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
This invitation isn't addressed to people who have everything figured out. It is addressed to:
the weary
the burdened
those who have reached the end of their own strength
those who have come to the place that Psalm 107:27 describes as their “wits' end”
And Jesus says simply: “Come to Me.” What a gracious invitation! You don't have to pretend that you are strong. You don't have to hide your tears. You don't have to have all the answers. Just come to Jesus. Your present circumstance is not your final chapter. Discouragement has a way of making today feel like forever.
But today is not forever.
The night is not forever.
The storm is not forever.
The valley is not forever.
There are chapters in our lives that we would never have chosen to write. Yet God is able to use even those difficult chapters to prepare us for something we cannot presently see. Romans 8:28 reminds us: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. "Notice what Scripture does not say. It does not say that all things are good.
Some things hurt.
Some things break our hearts.
Some things leave scars.
Some experiences change us forever.
But God is able to take even those broken pieces of our lives and, in His wisdom and grace, work them together for His purposes.
There is a beautiful picture often associated with the Japanese art of kintsugi, in which broken pottery is repaired with gold filigree rather than hiding its fractures. The repaired vessel becomes more valuable as it is then entirely unique, with its scars becoming part of its beauty. What a glorious picture of what God can do with a broken life! God does not waste our brokenness. He can take what has been shattered and, by His grace, create something beautiful for His glory.
If you are deeply discouraged today, don't worry about walking the entire road. Just take the next step. Pray one more prayer. Open your Bible. Meditate on one passage and write it down. You don't have to understand the entire journey to take the next step with Jesus! One of the most comforting promises in all of Scripture is found in Psalm 34:18: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Notice what God does not say: He does not say that He is far away from the brokenhearted. He is near. When your heart is breaking, God is not standing impassively at a distance. He draws near. When you cannot find the words to pray, He understands. When your faith feels weak, He remains faithful. When you cannot hold on to Him very tightly, remember this: He is holding on to you. Your salvation does not depend upon the strength of your grip on God. It depends upon the strength of His grip on you.
There Is Still Hope
We do not know what tomorrow holds, but we know WHO holds tomorrow! We may not know how our circumstances will unfold, but we know the One who will walk with us through every circumstance.
Your story is not over. There may yet be prayers answered that you thought would never be answered. There may yet be doors opened that you cannot see. There may yet be joy where there is presently sorrow. And even if God leads you down a path you would never have chosen for yourself, you will not walk it alone. Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, will be with you. David declared in Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
Notice that David said, “I walk through the valley.” He did not say, “I live in the valley” or “I will remain in the valley.” He said, “I walk through the valley.” The valley has an entrance—but it also has an exit, and the Lord will be with you until you reach it.
A Prayer for the Discouraged Heart
May our faithful Lord embrace you in His comforting and protective arms.
May He give you strength for today and grace for tomorrow.
Where there is fear, may He bring you peace.
Where there is confusion, may He impart wisdom.
Where there is loneliness, may His loving presence become unmistakably real.
Where there is sorrow, may He bring comfort.
Where there is disappointment, may He restore hope.
May the Lord give you courage to take the next step along the path He has prepared for you.
May He renew your strength and lift your eyes toward heaven, where you can see once again that your God is above all things—and that no obstacle is greater than His power.
May you discover anew that God's grace is sufficient, His promises are certain, His presence is real, and His love never fails.
May you always remember that you are not alone.
You are not forgotten.
You are not without hope.
The same God who carried David through the valley, Elijah through his despair, Job through his suffering, and Paul through his afflictions, is still faithful today! He has not changed. He has not forgotten you. He has not abandoned you. And when you feel that you are unable to take another step, remember that the God who has carried His people throughout the ages will carry you as well! So, lift your eyes and take the next step. Hold fast to His promises, and keep trusting the Good Shepherd, who is with you! The night will not last forever. And by His grace, there is still hope.
May the Lord richly bless you and your family as He fulfills his divine purposes in this new season.
Love in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Paul