The unlikely cure for discouragement.

In the Christian life, battles are something we simply can’t avoid. Once we accept Christ, the battle becomes even fiercer. To be honest with you, I have faced constant battles in my spiritual journey and I’m sure we all know what it’s like to feel discouraged in the midst of it all. Sometimes we feel that we simply can’t go on. There is a really powerful story in 2 Kings 6:15-17, which is an eye-opening account of the reality of our battles, When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do? ”He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. I don’t know about you, but even though I wish I was as courageous as Elisha, I often act just like the servant did. Even though it seems like we are all alone in our battle, we are not. Isn’t it interesting that God was present in horses and chariots, just like the army that was invading them but His were of fire and they outnumbered the attacking army? God is always present in the midst of our battle and He fights for us with much greater weapons than the enemy. Sometimes we find ourselves in the same situation as the Israelites were in after they had left Egypt and were caught between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea. They were absolutely certain that their end was near in Exodus 14:13-14, And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Why would Moses tell the people to be silent? If you read the previous verses you can see that they started complaining about their imminent danger to Moses and casting the blame on Him for the disaster that they thought would inevitably follow. The secret to experiencing God’s deliverance is to be silent before God when all we want to do is scream in panic and accuse Him for our misfortune. How encouraging to know that God is not only present in the midst of the battle but He fights for us! May we always be victorious as we quietly trust our triumphant God!