What To Do When You Just Want to Give Up

Have you been in a situation and you just want to give up? You know, quit praying for a change? Give up on waiting for God to move? If you have, this post is for you.

Pop quiz time! Name one person (other than Jesus) from the Bible that experienced a tremendous amount of pain and suffering.

Okay, I’ll give you a hint. His name starts with a J and ends with an Ob.

Yup, drum roll, please!. The answer is Job! You, dear reader, are soooo smart! Look. At. You!

At Look at Job

So, friends, the other day, I started reading through the book of Job. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve read through the book of Job. Lately, I’ve mostly been sticking to Paul’s letters. But, I thought it was time for a change. So, the book of Job it is.

The Bible tells us that Job (see Job 1:1) was perfect and upright. Because God allowed Satan to test Job, we can pretty much assume that Job was set in on following after God and wouldn’t budge on his beliefs for anyone or anything– no matter what. That’s not to say he didn’t question somethings. I think it’s safe to say anyone in Job’s position would have probably questioned why they were going through what they were going through.

But as I was reading through the first chapter of Job, it wasn’t his upright and perfect character that made me stop and go, “oh…. OH.” And, it wasn’t because I already knew Job’s story.

Nope, it was none of that. It was the description of Job’s children and his reaction to their actions left me with something to think about.

Let’s take a second to look at the particular verse, shall we?

What does Scripture Say?

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in theirs hearts, Thus did Job continually. Job 1:5

Did you catch what I did?

Pure speculation here, but I doubt Job’s children were perfect and upright like their father. And some more speculation, I’m betting the actions of his children really started to get old after a while. You know, Job might have wanted to give up and just let it be.

But, no matter how many times his children sinned, Job was there to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord on behalf of his children.

How do I know that?

Because the Word says, “Thus did Job continually.”

By now, I bet you’re wondering why I’ve been thinking about Job’s response for days, right? It’s not like we’re having to go out and find spotless lambs on the regular to offer as burnt sacrifices to cover our sins or someone else’s.

Feel like Giving Up? Don’t.

And you’re right. We don’t have to go out and make sacrifices. (Shout out to Jesus for being the ultimate and most perfect sacrifice!) But, I bet you know of a situation that you’ve had to continually go to an altar of prayer about over and over and over?

Maybe the storm you are in just will not let up. You keep praying, but the winds blow stronger.

Or, maybe, there’s some past issue that you thought you had knocked out of the way. You know, you’ve prayed about it, things got better for a while, and out of absolutely no where the situation knocked the wind out of you again. But harder this time.

Maybe, friend, you just want to give up praying about it because the Devil has you believing the situation isn’t going to change. Maybe you’re thinking, “What’s the point? Things are clearly not getting better.”

You cannot let discouragement and disappointment get the best of you. @caslwilsonblog Click To Tweet

The point is, God sees and cares. But, you have to keep praying. You cannot give up. You have to keep believing the answer is coming, because, spoiler alert, it is. Friend, you cannot let discouragement and disappointment get the best of you.

I repeat: You. Cannot. Give. Up.

Answers come when people continue to pray. It may not be on our timeline, but the answer will come.

Be like Job. Be constant in prayer.

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