feeling discouraged — Devotions — Kristine Brown, Author

Can anything good come from this?

Seems I’m mulling that question over more than usual lately. Maybe you are too. Sometimes I’m asking in a seeking-an-answer kind of way. Other times it’s more of a throw-my-hands in the air kind of way. Because each day brings another heaping load of frustrating, discouraging circumstances.

People clashing, voices shouting, separation building instead of the coming together we long for after the last round of reality. In all the mess, I really want to know from God. What’s the plan? I know you can work all this together for good, but I just don’t see it.

It’s true that right now, things look pretty bleak any way we turn. And it’s also true that the worse things get, the more overwhelmed we feel. Because problems seem to grow and grow, without any restoration in sight.

So what do we do when that question plays on repeat, “Can anything good come from this?” How do we keep a hope-filled heart in times of such turmoil? We remember the truth.

There will be good. We can count on it.

“So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.” Acts 16:24 NLT

Paul and Silas were thrown in prison. They cast a demon out of a fortune-teller, and her boss had them arrested since it affected his income.

The guard locked them in and stood watch. He alone would be held responsible if the prisoners escaped. Not that it would even be possible, considering their surroundings.

But God performed a miracle and opened the doors of the jail, allowing Paul and Silas the opportunity to escape unharmed.

Paul and Silas could have gotten sidetracked with the miracle that day. God freed them! As preachers of the gospel message, they could’ve left the prison behind without giving it another thought.

But their hearts drew them to the one. The one least likely to seek forgiveness. The one who’d put them in chains in the first place. Jesus had a plan, and his plan always focuses on the ONE.

“The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas...Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:29-30

Paul stopped the jailer from taking his own life, so he took Paul and Silas to his home, cared for them, and gave them a meal. He and everyone in his household were saved and baptized right then.

I can imagine how the church felt that day, with Paul and Silas in chains. Helpless. In despair. Frustrated over circumstances beyond their control. Wondering if anything good could come from this. And with overflowing mercy and grace, God answered.

Because with God, something good will always come of it. We can count on it.

So when hopelessness sets in and we struggle to see how things could possibly work out, we can rest in the truth the jailer discovered. We are Jesus’ plan. We are his focus. No miracle is too great when it comes to drawing our hearts to him.

Blessings,

Kristine

“Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.” Luke 13:10-13 ESV

The alarm clock gave my usual 5 a.m. wake up call. I started my daily routine, but something didn’t feel quite right. I couldn’t identify exactly what it was, but I just felt a little worse than the day before.

The next day the alarm sounded, and again I felt a little worse than the day before.

And the next day, a little worse.

And the next day,

and the next.

Until soon I discovered getting out of bed had turned into a battle. A temporary physical problem had persisted. But it was more than that. Something seemed to be affecting my spirit as well.

Have you ever been in that place? When a chronic physical pain leads to feelings of discouragement?

Then you understand why the woman in Luke 13 went to the synagogue on the Sabbath to see Jesus.

“Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years.” (v.10-11)

Disabling spirits can affect our physical bodies, but sometimes this type of spirit wants to debilitate us in other ways.

A disabling spirit can undermine our thoughts.

…weaken our will.

…damage our determination.

…take away our hope.

Oh, and they’re sly too. They don’t hit all at once. They creep in one small step at a time, like a sneak attack. So what do we do when a disabling spirit threatens us? How do we gain freedom from its discouraging ways?

The woman in Luke 13 knew. And from her brief but powerful story, we can learn how to break free from any spirit that tries to disable us.

1. Don't wait for the right time to take action.

After Jesus healed the woman, the ruler of the synagogue spoke to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” (v.14)

The woman came to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus was there. She could have gone home and waited for the appropriate time to return. But with Jesus, there’s no reason to wait. Jesus’ promises are unchanging and always available to us.

2. Guard against negative people.

The best way to protect our hearts from pain-induced discouragement is to guard against negative talk.

“But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath…” (emphasis mine).

Have you ever met an indignant person? Then you know exactly how the woman felt when, in the middle of her joy, those negative words came spewing out. It could’ve ruined the moment, but she didn’t let it. She chose to listen to Jesus instead.

3. Untie your ox.

“Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (v.15)

Sometimes we get used to that disabling spirit. Even though we don’t want it around, we’ve just grown accustomed to it being there. But the weight it adds gets heavier and heavier each day.

Let’s make a decision today to release the weight. Commit to letting it go. Lift it from around our necks and see how lighthearted we feel.

Let’s untie our ox and release what’s keeping us bound.

4. Glorify God. Even the smallest praise blesses God in a big way.

“And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.” (v.13)

My friend Julie Sunne wrote a book called Everyday Praise. In this daily praise devotional, Julie emphasizes an important truth.

We always have time to praise our Lord.

The woman in our story today knew this. And as we hold it in our hearts, we can praise through the discouragement. We can strengthen our spirits against what seeks to disable us.

Have you sensed a disabling spirit trying to work its way into your life? Are you feeling downhearted and unable to deal with the weight of it?

There is unending hope today through Jesus. He is ready to meet us anytime we need Him, giving us strength to make every moment count. Let’s call out to Him today! A disabling spirit has no hold on us. Because we are children of God, we have all we need to defeat discouragement.

Blessings,

Kristine