Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
“Discouragement often feels circumstantially determined, something we can’t help feeling because powerful forces beyond our control are causing it. That’s why our response is often passive – we sit, weighed down with a heavy spiritual listlessness looking at the world through the grey, bleak lenses of fear.” Jon Bloom, staff writer desiringGod.com.
Haven’t you felt at times discouraged and defeated? Some days everything is going right, and then other days everything falls apart. All seems to go wrong, and fears start to creep in due to someone’s comment directed your way.
The word dismayed has 76 occurrences throughout the Bible. Here are four examples that God has given us to fight those times when we are tempted to lose hope and see something as an obstacle that is too hard to turn around for any useful purpose:
- God sent Moses, in Exodus 9:1, back to Pharaoh, for the fifth time, to demand that he let the people go. Talk about a problematic conflict! Moses had to be persistent, have courage, hope, faith, and continued to obey God, despite being told no by a stubborn ruler. Moses is an example of how we need to keep our faith in God to fight against hopelessness due to obstacles.
- Hannah overcame her discouragement through much prayer. She had reason to feel bitter. But Hannah prayed from her depth of anguish and grief (1 Samuel 1:16). She prayed so earnestly that she couldn’t even speak out loud the words she was uttering up to God. God doesn’t always answer the next day or the next month, and sometimes His answer is no. But as Hannah realized persistent faith is what God requires: “And the LORD remembered her. So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son.” 1 Samuel 1:19-20.
- Sometimes discouragement comes after a great spiritual victory – 1 Kings 19:3ff. Elijah experienced extreme physical fatigue and despair just after he had two significant spiritual, miraculous victories: the defeat of the prophets of Baal and the answered prayer for rain. Elijah told God he had had enough and asked God just to take his life. He was discouraged and his hope was shattered. However, God let Elijah first rest and eat to recuperate, and then confronted him that he needed to return to his mission – to speak God’s words in Israel. He still had work to do in his ministry.
- Twelve spies returned after scoping out the new land in Numbers 13. They reported the people were powerful, some were giants, and the cities are fortified and very large. “They are stronger than we are.” Numbers 13:31. Their majority opinion was sinful and out of the will of God. They forgot everything God had already miraculously provided for them. Only Joshua and Caleb retained their faith in God. Caleb trusted God and said, “We can do it!”
Points to remember when feeling discouraged:
- God still has a purpose in your life since you are still alive.
- People will let you down; God will not.
- When feeling hurt by your expectations not being met – it is merely that. Most expectations are assumed.
- There will be battles in life. Be prepared for combat with your armor of faith and truth from God’s Word.
- Let go of what you wish you would have said differently.
- You cannot change the past experiences of others opinions.
- If you made a mistake, it is just that. It is not the end.
- Each of us may face a time of barrenness when nothing seems to be giving birth to our desire in relationships, work, dreams, and expectations. But prayer opens the path for God to work.
- Discouragement opens the door to temptations of selfishness, self-pity, fear, shame, frustration, anger, and feelings of failure. These are the weapons that Satan uses to play havoc in our lives and get us off track with God.
I have often struggled with discouragement. Satan wants us to feel intimidated, overwhelmed, and lose hope. No believer is exempt until we get to Heaven. How glorious it will be as we get to glorify and praise God all day long! There will be no more tears, no more debt, no more trying to figure out health insurance issues when we are living in Heaven!
But for the here and now, I asked God to give me a verse to go back to, to help encourage and lift my spirits, and Psalm 25 came to mind. Especially verse 12 in the NIV: “The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.” I love that word “confides.” That tells me to hold on to the promises of God, as He speaks to me through His Word. My prayer is: “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.” Psalm 25:21.
“God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. A sense of destiny is our birthright as followers of Christ. God is awfully good at getting us where He wants us to go. But here’s the catch: The right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time.” ― Mark Batterson, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day: How To Survive And Thrive When Opportunity Roars
Questions:
How can having an awareness of God’s presence change the way you view your day?
Would you describe your prayer time with God, too short, just right, or needs improvement?
Remember, God says “I am with you.”
Listen to “To You O Lord I Lift Up My Soul (Psalm 25) by Graham Kendrick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQgZAg8QwX4