The Threshhold of Dismay

I suppose it would be odd to speak of dismay as a normal part of a healthy spiritual life, but it seems there is surely such a pattern in the lives of the men God has used profoundly: Abraham at the thought of sacrificing Isaac; Moses at the cantakerousness of the Israelites; David as he runs for his life from the king; the weeping Jeremiah; the suffering Paul; even Jesus in Gethsemene. All were dismayed before they saw God work mightily.

This means, of course, that we must discipline ourselves to take the long view when things seem to fall apart. We must never judge the work of God, in our lives or in the lives of those we love, while the paint is still wet on the canvas. In the timetable of God, what looks like catastrophe is often the prelude to great glory and blessing.