Why do we get discouraged and disappointed? The main reason we are disappointed or discouraged is because we have expectations from the people around us, from our environment, from situations and things.
Expectations – this is what drives us to discouragement. We have expectations from our parents, our family, our teachers, our children, our spouse, our co-workers, etc – we have expectations from everyone!
It is impossible not to have expectations as long as you are a human being! We even have expectations from our environment and situation – we expect that things and situations would go our way, we will benefit from certain things, etc.
The better the environment or even the political or social situation gets, the more expectations we have…. The Lord’s environment was such that it did not render Him any help at all!
His surroundings did not give Him anything, and neither did the angels give Him any help. Everything that the Lord Jesus had was from God – He did not receive anything from His surroundings that would encourage, support, or comfort Him.
His only encouragement, support, or comfort was in God and in doing His will! He had satisfaction in God!
What a wonderful Person the Lord Jesus is! What He experienced and encountered in His environment during His lifetime should have given Him much disappointment and discouragement – but He was never discouraged!
His family didn’t believe in Him and many times hindered Him in His work. His disciples were arguing all the time concerning who is the greatest among them, and they “just didn’t get it” when the Lord told them things regarding the kingdom of God.
The people around Him demanded things from Him all the time, treating Him harshly. The environment was harsh and most of the time He spent travelling and being outside – He didn’t have a home of His own.
The Jews persecuted Him, criticized Him, plotted against Him, and spoke openly against Him; even more – they always tried to argue with Him and get Him to say something that is either wrong, not Scriptural, or something that can be used by them to accuse Him!
He was rejected and despised by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Yet in all these things He never looked at His environment to render Him any satisfaction – He always looked to God for satisfaction!
He spent time with the Father, drawing His life and satisfaction from God! His trust was in God – He was doing God’s will, speaking God’s words, doing God’s work, seeking God’s glory, and expressing God at all times!
He really fulfilled Isaiah 42:4 which says,
He will not faint, nor will He be discouraged, until He has established justice in the earth…
Even on the cross when He cried, It Is Finished! – this was a victorious cry! He didn’t say “it is finally over!” – no, He knew God, He put His trust in God, He entrusted His soul in God’s hands, and He had satisfaction only in and with God!
Throughout His life, He had no hope towards the world and He didn’t expect anything from it – He rather took hope in God and His only satisfaction was in God! This is why He was never disappointed no matter what people, events, and things in this world changed!
This is our pattern – we also should take satisfaction only in the Lord, and not in ourselves or in anything in our environment! We shouldn’t expect any help, comfort, or support from this world, neither should we “drink of the water” this world or the environment gives us!
We need to learn the lesson of having no expectation from anyone or anything, no expectation from our surroundings or our environment, and not expect anything to help, support, or comfort us – even from our family members or close friends!
Our hope and our satisfaction should be in God – in our organic union with Him! If we don’t expect anything from the environment and if we take our satisfaction only in God, trusting in Him, we will not be disappointed nor discouraged!
[sharing based on the Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 17, as quoted in the morning revival on the Crystallization-Study of Isaiah(2)]
Thank You Lord for being such a pattern to us! What a God-man living You had – You were never discouraged nor disappointed! Lord, save us from all our expectations! Re-direct our expectations towards You, Lord! May our hope and our satisfaction be only in You! We have nothing and no one on this earth, Lord, but You! We trust only in You, and we expect nothing from anyone or anything! Lord Jesus, put such a vision in us – make us such people! No expectations! No looking at others or at the surroundings to render us any help, comfort, or satisfaction! Become more and more, Lord, our only satisfaction!
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