Refuse to give in to discouragement, fear

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Prophet Isaiah, chapter 40.

Much can be said about the importance of one’s point of focus when it comes to life’s disappointments and hardships. The fact is, life is filled with moments and circumstances which have the power to swamp our energy and extinguish all hope. From minor letdowns to significant crises, our hearts are constantly challenged by the weight of discouragement and fear.

Perhaps never has the power of discouragement been more prominent in our world than in the last 19 months. We have felt isolated from friends and family. We have lost loved ones due to this dreadful virus that has assailed the world. We have witnessed our society burn with riots and political unrest and now watch in disbelief the massive resurgence of terrorism rule in the Middle East. It is enough to make even the strongest feel uncertain about the future.

I was thinking about the power of discouragement this week when a big disappointment led me to tears. And I don’t mean a teardrop or two. I let the floodgates open, which is so very unusual to me.

The following day, as I sat down to read my Bible and pray, I came across an illustration about eagles by Scottish author John Ross Macduff that resonated with me. Anyone who knows me is aware of my love for eagles and how this majestic bird’s nature has inspired me through the years.

The illustration focused on the eagle’s habitat:

“You cannot detain the eagle in the forest. You may gather around him a chorus of the choicest birds; you may give him a perch on the goodliest pine; you may charge winged messengers to bring him choicest dainties; but he will spurn them all. Spreading his lofty wings, and with his eye on the Alpine cliff, he will soar away to his own ancestral halls amid the munition of rocks and the wild music of tempest and waterfall.”

As I meditated on the intrinsic meaning of the illustration, the beginning words of Psalm 90 echoed in my soul:

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or you gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.”

The only psalm written by Moses, Psalm 90 is believed to be the oldest in the Psalter. From the content, we may conclude that it was written at the end of nearly 40 years of wandering in the wilderness as a prayer of remembrance for the people entering the promised land. In its verses, the leader describes God as the only eternal constancy in life and reminds the Jews of God’s faithfulness through the hardest of circumstances.

Moses was qualified to write these words from a place of vast experience with discouragement. He witnessed an entire generation perish in the wilderness. He undoubtedly experienced fear and doubt while enduring incredible hardship and leading a most rebellious, discouraging crowd. And yet, as we read this Psalm which has become a bollard of hope for millennia, we hear a man convinced that God’s constancy, faithfulness and power are the only anchors that can truly settle his wavering heart.

Indeed, just as the eagle that does not settle in the damp forest, however comfortable it may be, so should our hearts seek to climb out of the miry pit of fear and discouragement and make God’s relentless love and grace our dwelling place.

But we cannot do it if we fix our eyes on the news. Nor can we live in peace if we refuse to get up from the seeming hopelessness of our situation.

Disappointment, pain and fear are inevitable and there will be moments when the tears will flow, and sadness or fear will threaten to settle in our hearts. But our prolonged response can determine whether these joy killers will rule our lives.

Indeed, refuting lingering discouragement is as much a deliberate step as the eagle’s flight. Just as the eagle refuses to stay in the forest, we must choose to refuse to become consumed by the weight of our circumstances. Instead, as Moses did, we must remind our hearts of God’s faithfulness in the past and assert our trust of his presence in our future.

May we learn from Moses and the eagle and deliberately choose to soar to the Rock of Ages — the only place where the peace that surpasses all understanding reigns and our hearts find unwavering rest.