What's wrong?

Today, I saw a colleague who had recently entered the mission field.  Being interested in his work, I asked how things were going.  “Terrible,” he said.  He proceeded to tell me how his wife had her purse stolen, they had totaled their van, and just yesterday, their toilet pipes had broken and flooded their home.  That was a lot to deal with, but he seemed to misunderstand that I was asking about his ministry.  I offered him some emotional support, and eventually, we did talk about that.  The ministry was going great.  But, all this other stuff had become a distraction.  I could see how it could be.  It was probably very discouraging.  I have to confess, that is sometimes how I feel when things seem to go wrong.  Discouraged.  Distracted.  While I didn’t want to seem indifferent to his difficulties, I felt the best thing I could do was to try to help him to gain a perspective, similar to the one that I wrote about in my last blog.

First, I wanted him to be able to see that the enemy was behind this distraction.  The enemy wanted him to be discouraged and to lose his focus.  I wanted him to realize the enemy hadn’t been able to keep God from working through him in his ministry and from giving him success.  And the enemy wouldn’t be able to interfere with what God planned to accomplish.  When I feel attacked, it has helped me to see that God is still at work and to know that the enemy cannot prevent God from being successful.  Oswald Chambers, in his classic, “My Utmost for His Highest,” wrote that the enemy knows he can win if he is able to distract us.  What he wants is to be able to “make us lose…the possibility of being of value to God.”  But, he can’t stop us if we keep our focus.  Jesus told His disciples that “not even the gates of Hell” will be left standing when God’s church is on the attack (Matt. 16:18).

A young Joshua, getting ready to lead the nation of Israel was told by the Lord, “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Josh. 1:9).”

Jesus tried to prepare His disciples in a similar way.  “In this world, you will have trouble (John 16:33), He said.”  “But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”