Morning Devotional

July 24, 2005
"Down in the Dumps" (Part 1)     
    by Don Emmitte

Home

That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, "Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have told the people about me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome." (Acts 23:11 NLT).

Have you ever wondered where we get certain “sayings”? Like the title for our devotional this morning: “down in the dumps”? I wonder where it came from? If it is a reference to the garbage dumps, I think I can get a good read on it. I remember when I was young. One of the past times for several of us was to go to the town garbage dump and shoot rats at night. It was always a very unpleasant place! That describes discouragement pretty well, doesn’t it? It is a pretty unpleasant place to be!

The context of our reading today is Paul’s imprisonment. Paul was probably feeling discouraged. He had been thrown in jail and having to defend himself against the rulers of the church and the government. His ministry, which he was so passionate about, was being disrupted (or so he must have thought) by what seemed to be an unnecessary distraction. The passage literally says Paul was being “torn apart”, physically by the different factions, but also emotionally.

Paul was under tremendous pressure and stress and probably felt that it may never get any better. At this time in Paul’s life, he might have even felt that God’s plan was not working in his life, or perhaps even that God had forsaken him. Paul felt a tremendous calling to go to Rome, the center of government and preach, and at this point, that probably seemed like it would never happen. Jesus appears to him that night and speaks truth into Paul’s heart, encouraging him to continue the journey of faith. Jesus reminds Paul that his work is not over, and that Paul would indeed continue to preach the Good News in Rome.

Have you ever been so discouraged that you felt you couldn’t continue the journey? Have you ever felt like giving up? Have you ever felt that God was no longer active in your life? This week we will look at encouragement that God gives us in His Word. The journey of faith is a process and a continued striving to trust God more and more. I’m praying that Jesus will speak truth into your life today and you will be reminded of His promises in and plans for your life and be better prepared for the path ahead.