Dealing with Discouragement

January 18, 2016

Dealing with Discouragement

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”Psalm 143:7-8 (ESV)

by Alexandra Copeland

I heard a terrific teaching on the subject of discouragement the other day. I’d like to share some of the insights that I’ve had upon further study and meditation on God’s Word regarding this subject. In my opinion it is a very timely topic because I come in contact with many people in my daily life that seem to be discouraged for one reason or another. It really doesn’t matter who you are or what you do for a living, everyone faces a time in their lives when they deal with feelings of discouragement and disappointment. The feeling gets worse when it seems as though we’re boxed in by four walls and our problems appear in no way to be easily fixable. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that God’s Word contains everything we need for living a life of Godliness, and there isn’t anything that you and I can face that God cannot handle. So when we’re discouraged, we have unique opportunity to see God’s love in a way that perhaps we haven’t seen it before.

So often this is the most profound lesson that we learn through our disappointment. After we’ve cried our eyes out for days and complained about the situation or person that has wounded us, we then hopefully come to the realization that through it all, we’re still standing. Even so, a disappointment can be a setback. It can leave some pretty hefty scars, and as Christians we can’t afford to allow these wounds to interfere with our relationship with God and our ability to feel our best.

Each of us has a sore spot. The Apostle Paul aptly referred to it as a thorn in his flesh. Let’s face it, there are certain people or situations that cause us to feel poorly about ourselves. Some of us have insecurities; maybe we weren’t able to obtain the degree we always wanted, or we’re having trouble getting rid of the weight we want so desperately to lose. It could be as simple as an embarrassing situation that happened years ago, and something occurs to remind us of it all over again. When you couple these insecurities with exhaustion or a frustrating time at work, an invitation to discouragement is not too far away. You can usually feel it coming when thoughts and feelings of hopefulness and peace begin to give way to doubt and anxiety.

God tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV), “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This is an incredibly comforting and encouraging Word. God knows our frame. He knows that we have a tendency to allow our emotions to get out of control when stressful situations arise. Heavenly Father created us; therefore, in every situation, no matter what it is, He knows best. He knows how to get us out of whatever we face. We just have to be obedient to His instructions.

God tells us not to be anxious about anything. Nothing should rock us to the point where we lose heart. Instead of doing this, He gives us the absolute best remedy that there is. He has instructed us to take everything to Him in prayer. When we’re wigging out about something, or feeling really low, sometimes we don’t feel like praying. We think, “I know that God is going to help me eventually, but I don’t think He is going to do something right this moment.” This is where we’re completely wrong.

We should never forget that God has given us good and perfect gifts, and one of the most extraordinary gifts that we have received is the indwelling Holy Spirit. In John 14:26(KJV), Jesus Christ said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” The spirit is an inside job and he will comfort us, but we have to trust that God will do this work within as we invite Him to do so.

Sometimes, our situations seem so complex that we don’t feel that we can surrender those feelings of discouragement; the hurt just feels too deep. I know of marriages where it is clear that the husband and wife love each other very much, but they can’t seem to get along with each other. They are constantly bickering back and forth, and neither of them can seem to put a stop to it. The wife feels neglected and that she isn’t being heard, and the husband has disconnected himself because he doesn’t know how to make her feel secure and loved. Too many people are disappointed in their marriages because neither spouse feels appreciated or loved in their deep places.

Some of us, no matter what we do, we feel like failures, and that nothing goes the way it should for us. We’re so used to disappointment that we’re surprised when it doesn’t happen. We have to remember that we’re not alone in feeling this way. In Psalm 143:7-8 (ESV), David, the psalmist wrote, “Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

David knew a little something about disappointment. In 1 Samuel 29, we learn that he fought valiantly with the Philistine army only to learn that they no longer wanted to fight alongside him. Then, in Chapter 30, when he and his men returned home after being rejected by the Philistines, they found that the Amalekites had ransacked and burned their homes, and taken their wives and children. This was bad enough, but on top of it, David’s men began to speak against him and talked of stoning him. 1 Samuel 30:6 says that David was greatly distressed, but he did something that was absolutely to the moon. This verse says that David encouraged himself in the Lord His God.

Do you know what this demonstrates for us? It tells us that disappointment may be unavoidable in life, but abiding in a constant state of discouragement is a choice. David flipped the switch from disappointment to encouragement in the Lord, and we must do the same. We can appreciate our ability to do this even more when we consider that David didn’t even have the indwelling Holy Spirit that you and I have. He just knew that God would not fail him. There’s no question that we’ll face situations and circumstances that will cause us to sink inside, but we can change that as soon as we decide to develop confidence in the Lord.

Wounds are made to be healed, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ has told us to bring all of our burdens to him. He’ll heal our hearts, but we have a responsibility in this as well. We have to make up in our minds that we will continue to walk the path of God’s love. We have an obligation to hang our hats on the wonderful reality that He has so many other good things in store for us. So we can’t hold on to the residual pricks and blemishes from previous disappointments. We have to let them go, deepen our faith, and surrender anything that holds us back to the Lord; because He knows just what to do with them. God has told us that He’ll give us the kind of encouragement and comfort that leaves us with a sense of peace; it’s a peace that passes all understanding. Have faith in this, because at the moment you do, God promises that He’ll guard your heart in Christ Jesus.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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