"May the stars of its morning be dark; may it look for light, but have none, and not see the dawning of the day; because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hide sorrow from my eyes. Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb? Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?"
In the Depths of Discouragement
Some time ago the Hayden Planetarium in New York City issued an invitation to all those interested in applying to join the crew on the first journey to another planet. Eighteen thousand people applied. They gave the applications to a panel of psychologists, who examined them thoroughly and came to this conclusion--in the vast majority of cases, those who applied did so because they were discouraged with their lives here and hoped they could find a new life somewhere else.
Job was mired even deeper in discouragement. He wasn't simply seeking a new life; he wished he had never been born. After losing his wealth, his health and his family, Job felt it would have been better had he never seen the light of his first day. Before we move too quickly to criticize Job, most of us have to admit we've never experienced in a matter of minutes the kind of devastating blows that this man did. Job went from the highest heights to the lowest depths with hardly time to take a breath.
Christians are not immune to disasters and the discouragement that sometimes accompanies them. But as Job was to discover later, we do have an answer--God. The Lord Jesus told His disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1). When your heart is filled with discouragement, Jesus can fill it with His peace.
If you are discouraged today, running away and starting a new life is not the answer. Instead, completely place your situation in Christ's hands. Turn over every troubling thought to His care. And let the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, give you new hope.
Let the God of peace fill you with the peace of God.