From the Desert to the Mountain Top

by Joanne Lowe
Published April 14, 2008

“For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”

Isaiah 51: 3

King James Version

I think if we will be honest with ourselves that there are times when all of us wander in the desert of discouragement, doubts and loneliness. This is especially true with the ones who have surrendered their lives to Jesus in full time service. It is only after we start serving Jesus that satan attacks us.

Before we started serving Jesus, we weren’t a threat to satan. It makes satan very angry when we tell the good news of a risen Saviour to people and he will do everything that he can to keep us in the desert of discouragement. The ones he really goes after are pastors, missionaries and evangelists.

We should constantly pray for our pastors and encourage them. We need to remember that our pastors are human and have feelings just like we do. They get discouraged many times because of all of the criticizing remarks that are made to them. I am reminded of a pastor who sent me an email two years ago. He was very discouraged and his heart was broken due to constant criticism.

He said “I couldn’t do anything to please my congregation. No matter what I did, someone said that it was wrong. Our monthly business meetings were out of control and sometimes resulted in a shouting match between the deacons. I have resigned as their pastor and am no longer going to be a pastor. It hurts too much.” This dear pastor has not only left this particular church; he has left the pastorate.

Many years ago, I used to sit next to my pastor’s wife in church. We became very good friends. One Sunday when my pastor, her husband, gave the invitation for salvation, this precious pastor’s wife got up and walked down the aisle and knelt at the altar. My pastor had tears in his eyes as he knelt beside his wife and prayed with her as she asked Jesus into her heart. She told us that she had taught Sunday School for years, sang in the choir, played the piano and organ, taught Bible School and had been a teacher in Christian Schools for over twenty years but she had never invited Jesus into her heart to be her personal Saviour.

Instead of the congregation going up to her and hugging her and welcoming her into the family of God, they held an emergency business meeting and voted to remove my pastor and his wife. God used this heartbreaking situation to birth the ministry of encouraging pastors in my heart.

One day, all of the people who voted to remove them will stand before a Holy God and give an account of why they hurt them and asked them to leave. The same is true with the people who were so hateful to the pastor who emailed me that it caused him to become so discouraged that he left the pastorate.

It does not matter if your pastor makes a mistake and gives the wrong Scripture reference. What matters is that your pastor loves Jesus and loves you. Your pastor does many things for you and makes a lot of sacrifices for you and gives up valuable family time. Let’s stop discouraging our precious pastors and start praying for them and for their families.

Joyce Landorf Heatherley, a well known speaker and author, said on one of her teaching tapes, “I was in an airport with a friend when my friend pointed to herself and said “Pastors and their wives need encouragement.” Instead of depending on our pastors and their wives to encourage us all of the time, let’s start encouraging our pastors and their wives. Are you encouraging or discouraging your pastor?

Our greatest encourager is our precious Saviour. He takes us from the desert of discouragement, hurt, loneliness, and doubts and despair time and time again and sets us on the mountain top of joy, happiness, excitement and peace. He gently and tenderly kisses away our tears and whispers in our ears “I love you.” Indeed, Jesus is our comforter and encourager. His heart is filled with compassion, concern and unconditional love for us. If today you are hurting and feel like giving up, tell Jesus all about it. He will take you from the desert of discouragement and set you once again on the mountain top of happiness.

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