Everyone gets discouraged from time
to time, and for much of the population those times may be longer than for
others. Discouragement, like depression, can lead to a rapid downward spiral from
which it may be hard to recover, but there is hope in the gospel.
Discouragement leaves us feeling
overwhelmed, defeated, and sometimes worthless. The past paralyzes us, the
present often disappoints us, and the future scares the snot out of us. But Jason
Meyer has found answers in his easy to read book Don’t Lose Heart: Gospel Hope for the Discouraged Soul. (Baker
Books, 2019). He calls it “Hope” I might
have gone for the play on words, and called it “Encouragement”. Either way,
there are answers to be found in scripture,
Whether the discouragement and disappointment is relatively minor, or
particularly horrible, God knows all about it, and is at work in your life.
I found
the examples to be appropriate, and helpful, but the conclusion really says it
all: “God’s not done!” Our God is a
living God, and He is at work in our lives, even if we don’t recognize it. Just
ask Joseph, when he was in prison, or Daniel in the lion’s den. He was at work
when Pharaoh was oppressing the Israelites, when Saul was persecuting the early
Christians, and when Herod was killing baby boys. Ask Sarah about God being at
work even when she was way too old to have a baby, or Mary, a young virgin,
used by God to give birth to the Messiah.
God
wasn’t done in their lives, and He’s not done in your life either. As Meyer asks each of us to consider, “What
will our lives look like when God fulfills His plans and finishes His work in
us?” It’s gonna be great and you don’t want to miss it.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher as a
member of a bloggers’ program,
4/5
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