Pursuing Jesus When the Enemy Pounds on You

About a week ago I was in a hit-and-run car accident, with my daughter in the back seat. We both are fine, but my car was totaled.

Having gone through the process of dealing with the insurance and all that goes with it, we are now moving ahead. Due to the nature of my ministry, it is time to find a used car to replace the last one.

For some people, the idea of shopping for a car would be fun. I am not even close to being a car guy. The whole process feels a lot like walking through a maze with a lot of dead ends. I am hoping that every phone call, Google search and visit to a dealership is leading me toward my new to me car.

To be honest, this whole process is an emotionally exhausting event at times. It can be discouraging to be on a journey and not be there yet. Since I know very little about cars, I wonder if the effort will be worth it.

This reminds me of the blind man on the road to Jericho in Luke 18. He hears that Jesus is coming by and begins to cry out for him. The people around him just tell him to be quiet. This blind man doesn’t know if his crying out will even be worth it. Will Jesus hear him? Even if Jesus does hear him is He going to stop? And then what will happen?

But the blind man doesn’t let the crowd shut him down. It actually says that, “He cried out all the more …” (18:39). He didn’t let the discouragement keep him back, but tried even harder. And that crying out changed his life. Not only could he now see, but he also was able to follow Jesus and worship God.

We can easily get discouraged in our pursuit of God, whether the discouragement comes from outside or maybe even from within ourselves. Sometimes we need to be like David and say to ourselves, “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Ps. 103:1). Inside or out, discouragement must never stop us from pursuing Jesus.

Jesus is worth pushing through the discouragement. I may question the effort of pushing through the discouragement of looking for a car, but being with Jesus is worth the effort.

Your emotions, physical tiredness, discouragement from other people and any other reason must not keep you from seeking the greatest treasure you can ever find. Will you cry out for Jesus again today? {eoa}

Kevin Senapatiratne is head spiritual pyromaniac for Christ Connection. Kevin speaks around the United States helping Christians find the fun of prayer. He is the author of Enjoying Prayer. You can learn more about his ministry at enjoyingprayer.com.

For the original article, visit christconnection.cc.