April 2, 2019 – Click here to listen
I have a friend who seems to be on the verge of some sort of mental breakdown. He admittedly has lost hope. He has pursued a business dream that has not panned out. It has left him broke, exhausted, discouraged, and bitter at God whom he seems to blame for his problems. Nothing I say seems to help.
Since becoming a Christian I’ve been broke, exhausted, and discouraged plenty of times, but never bitter at God over the many trials and tribulations I’ve experienced in my life. My buddy wrote and said he could not understand why time after time over the past decade God has allowed him to get right to the verge of a breakthrough only to have it blow up in his face.
I suggested that perhaps what he wanted to achieve with his business aspirations was not within the will of God but was greeted by stony silence. Mind you I’m not suggesting that one give up, especially when many quit at a time that what they are pursuing is within reach, but from what he tells me he is no closer today at reaching his goals than he was 13 years ago. At some point it seems inevitable that he must decide that maybe, just maybe, his project is not taking off because it was simply a bad idea, or worse not within the will of God.
I read a sign one day that read:
All men fall the great ones get back up again
Most have heard about Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken. He famously went to 1000 banks in an attempt to get someone to finance his chicken empire dream. He was met by no after no until finally on the 1000th attempt he was successful. Chuck Yeager was told that it was impossible to break the sound barrier and the plane would explode if he did, yet he did it. The same was true with Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute mile. Look at the biblical heroes in the Bible like Joseph, Moses, and Job. They spent torturous decades trying to achieve their success but in the end stood in the winner’s circle.
Getting bitter at God is NOT the solution. Pray, fast, meditate, analyze, think, be still and listen to God. If the Holy Spirit leads you in another direction, then cheerfully go and forget about what was invested heretofore. Take what you have learned and use it in your next venture. Most importantly GET BACK UP AND FIGHT – Don’t be a wimp! Don’t worry about those who seem successful that abound around you.
Psalm 37:7
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!