Giants

Why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land?

Numbers 32:7

In the Book of Numbers, the twelve spies returned from searching out Canaan. Two of them were upbeat, saying that with the Lord’s help they could take the land. But the other ten discouraged the Israelites, planting seeds of doubt and pessimism. They worried about the giants in the land and about the fortified cities. As a result, the people’s morale collapsed.

One of the problems with being discouraged is that we also become discouraging. When we fail to trust the Lord with our giants, we’re telegraphing a message to others: “The Lord can’t help you with your giants either.” Discouragement becomes as contagious as smallpox.

Discouragement was one of Paul’s concerns when he was persecuted. He was afraid his imprisonment would discourage his converts. Writing to the Thessalonians, he said, “We didn’t want any of you to be discouraged by all these troubles. You knew we would have to suffer, because when we were with you, we told you this would happen” (1 Thessalonians 3:3–4 CEV).

If you’re facing a difficulty now, may the Lord help you respond to it so that others will be encouraged to trust Him too.