“He will not fail you or forsake you.”
Big daunting tasks can lead to deep dark discouragement. How do you overcome?
At the beginning of the 20th century, Thomas Edison was working to develop a battery capable of powering an automobile. (Hybrid and electric car owners, there really is nothing new under the sun!). Things were not going well. The genius inventor had tried 10,000 experiments. All of them had failed!
Most would be demoralized. Not Edison. His famous line sums up his determination,
“I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
I want Edison on my team when the chips are down. Edison and King David!
If Edison could see the silver lining in the depressing cloud, David knew the Secret to soaring above it. David was seventy years old and ready to retire. After forty years on Israel’s throne it was time, time to pass the baton of leadership to his son, Solomon. Solomon’s task was daunting:
Who was he to fill the shoes of Israel’s greatest leader since Moses?
Who was he to pick up the harp of the great psalmist?
Who was he to follow the man who was “a man after God’s own heart”?
And who was he to bring to life David’s dream of building a temple for God?
Forget the stuff about 10,000 experiments, Solomon had not even stepped into the lab and he was discouraged. David knew it too. Look at what this wise father said to his disheartened son:
“Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged by the size of the task, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. ”
God is your ladder out of the pit of discouragement. That is what David reminded Solomon:
My God—the one who dropped Goliath, scattered enemies,
and brought hope to a discouraged heart—is with you.
He will not fail you or forsake you.
I have entitled today's post, "How To Beat Discouragement." That is a misnomer. Actually, you can't beat discouragement, but God can. God is still pulling people out of that demoralizing pit.
Are you discouraged? Come before God. Name your daunting task. Identify your frustrating challenge. Get honest with Him about your discouraged heart. Then thank him in advance and lean on his ever-present help.
“Be strong and courageous, and do the work. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
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"I have not failed . . ." quoted in The World Book Encyclopedia (1993) Vol. E., p. 78. www.en.wikiquote.org.