Don't Be Discouraged Today

Don't be discouraged today. No matter how alone you feel, you've been blessed with the Father's love.

Do you feel alone today? Are there ways in which you feel alienated and unloved? Do you feel misrepresented or misunderstood? Do you feel passed by and taken for granted? Do you feel broken and in need of repair? Do you struggle to find reasons to continue? Do you wonder if it’s worth it? Does it seem that there’s no one to share your heart with? Do you sometimes wonder whether anyone cares? When the waves of loneliness and discouragement roll over you, where do you run, where do you hide?

I love the depiction of God’s tender care in Isaiah 42:3: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will nor quench.” What a beautiful word picture! Imagine walking through the bush and coming across a young tree with a bent and almost broken limb hanging at a rather grotesque angle. You spontane­ously complete the job, ripping the limb completely off. Your heavenly Father would never, ever be that thoughtless. He wouldn’t think of breaking you the rest of the way. He comes to you in grace to comfort, strengthen, encourage, and restore. His love toward you is tender and faithful. He is near you when it seems no one else is.

He will care for you when no one else does. He will heal your wounds when no one around you seems to see how wounded you are. He will never mock or take advantage of your weakness. He will not let you go unnoticed or disregarded. If you are His child, it is impossible for you to be alone and unloved because your heavenly Father is with you and reaches out to you in tender, restoring love.

Imagine that the final little flame on the stick that is giving you light is faintly flickering and about to die. In an act of impatience and frustration, you reach out with your finger and snuff the final life out of it. Your heavenly Father would never think of doing that to you. In grace, He comes to you as a life-giver, not a life­-destroyer. When your hope is fading and your faith is weak, He is not impatient and he does not grow frustrated. His beautiful mercy breathes life into your heart and vitality into your soul. He is slow to anger and abounding in mercy. He is the source of all true compassion. He really is the Father of comfort. He is a tender High Priest who is touched by our feeling of weakness and offers us just the mercy we need in our time of need. He is the ever-faithful friend. He is the Father who invites us onto His lap to be comforted by His love.

Yes, life can be very hard, people can be very cruel, and there are times when you are left alone, but you are never completely alone because your Father is with you in tender restorative love.

P.D.T.