Maybe during this time of lockdown, you feel as though you are stuck. Maybe you feel isolated (whether or not you have people with you in your home). Maybe you feel as though you're in a rut, with each day's routine looking exactly the same. Maybe you feel that you're facing the problems and challenges of life all alone. Maybe you’re discouraged and downhearted.
If any of these things are true of you, then take heart, because you certainly aren’t the first child of God to feel that way—nor will you be the last!
Elijah
The mighty prophet Elijah once became so discouraged and depleted that he crawled under a bush in the desert and asked God to kill him. God heard His servant’s prayer, but answered in another way. He provided Elijah with rest, a meal, a friend, and a fresh assignment.
God’s provision, and the reminder of His presence, were exactly what Elijah needed. Instead of taking an early exit, Elijah took heart, and continued his ministry.
John Bunyan
There is a story of a minister who came to visit John Bunyan, the man who wrote Pilgrim's Progress, while Bunyan was in prison in the seventeenth century. He told Bunyan, "Friend, the Lord sent me with a message for thee, and I have been half over England trying to find thee."
"Nay," Bunyan said, "for if the Lord had sent thee to me, he would have directed thee straight here. I have been in this prison for the last twelve years, and he has known all the time where I was."
Bunyan understood that even though his circumstances were bleak, Jesus was not unaware of His trial, and it was enough to sustain Bunyan in that prison cell for so long.
Paul
The apostle Paul was in a Roman dungeon for his faithfulness to the gospel. But one night, Jesus Christ paid him a visit. Acts 23:11 says, “But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer [or courage], Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome’” (NKJV).
Jesus was revealing to the great apostle that He was more than aware of his situation. Just because he was in a prison didn’t mean that God had lost track of him.
Prisons Come in Different Shapes
Jesus is there with us in our “prisons” as well. For some people, it is a literal jail cell they are in because they have broken the law. Yet, as they have asked for God’s forgiveness, Jesus is with them there in that prison cell.
Maybe you are in a different kind of prison right now, such as the prison of a hospital bed. You would love to get up and just walk out, but you can’t. Even so, Jesus is there in that hospital room, convalescent home, or bedroom, saying, “Be courageous. You are not alone, and I am fully aware of your suffering.”
Perhaps it is a prison cell of mourning, because of the loss of a loved one through death. Perhaps it is a financial prison, where you feel trapped from debt on every side. Perhaps “sheltering at home” is not easy for you; your personality and lifestyle make social distancing feel immensely restrictive—and it’s making you depressed.
Jesus Knows
Whatever or wherever your prison is, Jesus is there with you now.
Jesus also knows what lies ahead. That is why He came to Paul in his hour of need—because He knew he would need a special touch.
Paul was not really privy to what was going on all around him while he was in that prison. He did not know that 40 men had taken an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul!
Sometimes, ignorance can be bliss. Many times, it’s really a good thing that we don’t know everything that is swirling around us in both the supernatural and natural realm.
The Need to Know
God reveals to us as much as we need to know, when we need to know it. Not necessarily more and certainly not less, but what we need to know. Your troubles, though unexpected, did not come as a surprise to God.
The military has a term it uses for sensitive information. If it is necessary for you to know something, it’s on a “need-to-know basis.” In the same way, God gives us what we need to know, when we need it.
God knows. And that’s what counts.
This quote from C. H. Spurgeon should bring hope to any Christian facing hard times:
"The Lord knows all about your troubles before they come to you; he anticipates them by his tender foresight. Before Satan can draw the bow, the Preserver of men will put his beloved beyond the reach of the arrow. Before the weapon is forged in the furnace, and prepared on the anvil, he knows how to provide us with armor of proof which shall burn the edge of the sword and break the point of the spear.”
Take Courage!
You don’t have to face things alone. Whether you are stuck in a physical place or stuck in discouragement, Jesus meets us where we are and encourages through His Word. Though you feel isolated, you can know that Jesus is close at hand. He sees and He knows, and He does not leave you as an orphan to face this difficult world alone.
During the last week of His life on Earth, Jesus knew His departure was at hand. So before He left His disciples, He wanted to encourage them. First, He warned them that they would face hardship and difficulty. But then He told them, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV).
“Be of good cheer.” Take courage! Take heart! It was Christ’s call to courage in the lives of His frightened disciples. Jesus wasn’t simply saying, “Cheer up. Come on, put a smile on your face!” He was saying more than that. He was saying, “Be brave. Be courageous.”
If you are courageous, cheerfulness will follow. Yes, we will face trouble and heartaches and times of isolation in this broken world of ours. It’s part of life on this side of Heaven. But we also have the assurance that He has already overcome the world.
And that makes us overcomers too.
Image courtesy: ©Getty Images / keiferpix
Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.