This Week's Devotional | 2004 Devotionals | 2005 Devotionals

Devotional For the Week 10 October 2005

Discouraged Lately?

Scripture Text: Nehemiah 4:1-17

When Discouragement Got Involved:

Discouragement comes in many forms and disguises, external and internal. Whatever it is,discouragement, which is Satan's favourite tool, will come. Sometimes, we don’t even know that it has hit us and we wallow in sadness and depression, thinking God is nowhere in sight when we need Him most.

We can be discouraged when our children don’t respond the way we would like them to, or with the overwhelming pile of work, our colleagues don’t even want to help us with or when medical reports we receive are perpetually unfavourable, or the thousands of job interviews that we have gone to yield nothing or the baby we long for eludes us month after month, or with simply, just the 'mundaneness ' of chores and life.

Just like in Nehemiah 4, the people faced two types of oppositions which made them feel discouraged. First, it was the external opposition that came from people outside (v.1-3; 7-8), namely, Sanballat, Tobiah, Gershem, and the surrounding neighbours of Jerusalem. The second came from internal opposition – Nehemiah’s own people (v.10-12) – which is a far more fatal enemy.

Nehemiah 4:10 speaks of discouragement and it sets in when:

Faced with discouragement, Nehemiah did several things:

Set a common goal for his people (Neh. 4:13)

Nehemiah saw that families were broken up and the work was scattered. It was counter-productive so he reorganised the work. He teamed up people according to families and neighbours, around one goal.

Do we have a common goal as a church, or are we trying to do our own thing? Do we have a common goal to see our Lord Jesus Christ built up, to see people serve Him? One of the reasons we get discouraged in our work for God is we work against one another instead of working with one another.

Have a unified focus (Neh. 4:14)

Nehemiah surveyed the rubble around him. He lifted his eyes heavenward and encouraged the people not to focus on the rubbish, nor the enemy but on the Lord. He told the people to remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.

Have we taken our eyes off the Lord? Are we looking up or looking at the problems all around us? It is time to “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face and the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”

Have a balanced approach (Neh. 4:15 & 17)

We need a balanced approach when we do the Lord’s work. We have to be prepared to fight – with sword in one hand, and trowel in the other – and build as well.

Most of the time, we tend to ‘major in the minor’. Our self absorption in caring for only one particular area of interest without an overall perspective, is myopic. In life there will be times when we must also do the “less impressive and inconvenient” tasks. Similarly, we need to balance work and prayer, faith and action, and not either or.

Have an other-centred occupation (Neh. 4:19-22)

Nehemiah encouraged the people to rally around others, as God was fighting together with them.

Often when we get discouraged, we want the support of another person. But have we ever reversed our thinking so that we become a support to others when we are discouraged? Barnabas was one example where his encouragement brought joy to others and himself.

Could the reason for our discouragement be due to our own self- centredness and absorption? Hence, let us serve and encourage others so that we can bless them and ourselves at the same time

Prayer Response

Lord, I admit I can be overwhelmed by the rubble around me that I forget to look heavenward towards you. In my busy life, I forget to pray and often neglect to encourage the person next to me. Forgive me and help me reorganise my life, set my priorities right and put others before me. Thank you for reminding me that if I can't find a way out, I look up as you are always there.

- Devotional based on message by Rev Vincent Goh