Why should I feel discouraged?

Source: www.lovethispic.com

Ever felt discouraged, without hope and no sense of direction? Welcome to the club.

Psalm 42 says 'Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God.' (‭Psalms‬ ‭42‬:‭5‬ CEB)

There are several reasons why as Christians we may feel discouraged. We may have lost a loved one, scored badly on an important exam or made a bad decision resulting in loss. Let me be real with you, even watching the news these days can be quite discouraging. Whatever the case, we can identify with the feeling. David did too and he certainly didn't hide this emotion but like Job, openly expressed his feelings before God.

In verse three of psalms 42, David mentioned he had been crying for days on end to the extent that he had no energy left as he refrained from eating. He was even being tormented with thoughts of what people had previously said in that they questioned the reality of his beliefs.

Source: www.wordpress.com

Does this sound familiar?

Life gives you the option of being depressed, upset and at times bitter. But let's examine what David said in the latter part of verse 5. He said 'Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God.'

Why did he say this? I believe it's because he had an assurance based on his past experiences in his relationship with God. He knew that he'd come out of this situation because God was with him. That's what brought him out of the situation.

With this in mind, I thought of things that I do that help me when I'm discouraged.

1. I'll be honest with God about my feelings

2. I'll calm down and not let emotions rule my thoughts

3. I make my feelings accountable to another person

4. I'll be silent to hear from God as I believe he's heard me

5. I'll be vigilant to understand what He's trying to teach me.

6.  Ultimately, I'll keep moving forward as there's no benefit to my progress if I remain stagnant.

Last thoughts: What we must always strive to maintain is our relationship and enhance the knowledge we have with Him, through the word of God. Then when discouragement surfaces we'll be able to deal with it.

Today I'm reminding you and myself that if His eyes is on the sparrow, then He's surely watching over us.

Rubologs