How can we overcome discouragement when it knocks on our door? How can we overcome the hopelessness that is so common to all of us, especially in the face of frustration and failure? Scripture gives us the answers to these questions.
The apostle Paul encourages his brothers in Galatia when he writes:
“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).
The answer lies in our future hope and not in the immediate change of the situation that discourages us. The certainty that we will reap the results of our hard work in due time propels us forward, motivates us, and encourages us. Job spent the entire book asking God the reason for his afflictions and did not receive answers that would solve his immediate problems, but did not receive satisfactory answers. Instead, his sufferings, unimaginable for any of us today, allowed him to know God better and trust in His sovereign providence. In the end, this is Job’s declaration:
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” (Job 19:25-26).
Job’s eyes were fixed on the future, where only the eyes of faith can see. He was confident he would not grow weary in doing what was right, for he would reap in due season, even if it meant life after death.
May our future hope steady our steps and fill us with courage and strength to face the present.
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