Afflicted by Discouragement?

17 April 2011 Dr Paul Ferguson

It is all too easy to succumb to discouragement. Despite the affluence of our society, it is said that close to 9% of the adult population in Singapore suffer from depression. The problems of this world such as the social and economic woes can cast us down. Personal failures, health problems, work difficulties, family disappointments, and financial problems can threaten to overwhelm us. Even difficulties in our Christian service where harsh words, partiality, disappointments, and disagreements can make us discouraged. However, throughout the Scriptures we are exhorted again and again not to fear or be discouraged, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isaiah 41:10) and Be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled (1 Peter 3:14). Indeed, we are told, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Realty of Discouragement One of the greatest weapons that the devil uses to attack the saints of God is fear and discouragement. I was reading a story recently that illustrates this: A familiar legend tells how the devil had put his tools up for sale, each marked with the appropriate price. Hatred, lust, jealousy, deceit, lying and pride were all there. Apart from these and marked with a ridiculously high price was a harmless looking but well-worn tool. A buyer asked, What tool is this? Discouragement, replied the devil. And why is it priced so high? asked the man. Because it is more useful to me than the others. I can pry open a mans heart with that when I cant get near to him with anything else. Its so badly worn because I use it on almost everyone, since few people know it belongs to me. This story we see exemplified in the lives of the saints of God in Scripture. Moses got to the point of defeat, that he complained, I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. He then added, And if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand;. (Numbers 11:14, 15). Elijah depressed, bitterly cried out, .It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life (1 Kings 19:4). So too, Jonah prayed, Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech Thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live (Jonah 4:3). Because the Word of God was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily, Jeremiah wanted to quit and testified, Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His Name. (Jeremiah 20:9a) Even the great missionary and evangelist, the Apostle Paul was at times afflicted by fears and discouragement. He testified and said, For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears (2 Corinthians 7:5). We see the same problem in church history. Martin Luther, the leader of the Reformation, was prone to discouragement, especially at the beginning of his married life. His wife, when she observed him in this mood, would put on a black dress and veil. This prompted Luther to question the reason for her dressing, she replied, Because God must be dead. Its obvious by the way youre acting. The Baptist preacher CH Spurgeon was often afflicted with bouts of depression and discouragement. He wrote, Before any great achievement in my life, some measure of depression is very usual. Such was my experience when I first became a pastor in London; my success appalled me and the thought of that career which seemed to be opening up, so far from elating me, cast me into the lowest depths out of which I uttered my misery. Cure for Discouragement In 1835 a man who suffered from depression and anxiety visited a doctor in Florence, Italy. After finding him in perfect physical health, the doctor advised him that he needed more entertainment in

his life to be happy. The doctor told him that the best entertainment was a clown on a famous circus named Grimaldi. He said, You must go and see him, Grimaldi is the worlds funniest clown. Hell make you laugh and cure your sadness. The despairing man shook his head, No, he cant help me. You see, I am Grimaldi! The cure for discouragement is not found in entertainment, wealth, better health, or increased selfesteem. That is why the health and wealth false gospel of much of Christianity today is so empty. The cure for discouragement is getting your focus on what God has done, what God is doing, and what God has promised to do for you in the future. This is especially seen in reading and meditating on the Word of God. When Joshua faced the fearsome prospect of leading Israel after the death of Moses, the Lord encouraged the young leader. What God pointed Joshua to focus upon, was God and His Word. He first directed Joshua to focus unto God, There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (Joshua 1:5). The power was not in Moses but in God, so if Joshua had the God of Moses, that was all that he needed. Joshua was also instructed to live with his life saturated in obedience to Gods Word, Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:7-8). David found the Cure In 1 Samuel 30 we see an incident of deep discouragement in the life of king David. We are told, And David was greatly distressed. (1 Samuel 30:6). David, doubtless, was humiliated, tired, emotionally and spiritually downcast as he headed home after being expelled by the Philistine leaders. But when he arrived home he discovered his home at Ziklag was burned to the ground and his family snatched by the Amalekites. Humanly speaking he had lost everything with no hope of recovery. David could only but imagine the sufferings of his wives and children at the hand of the cruel Amalekites. To multiply the distress of Davids soul, mutiny broke out amongst his men for going to assist the Lords enemies. This was a low point in Davids life. His whole world had fallen apart. This was the last straw! To make his despair greater, he could now see that it was the consequence of being out of the will of God in running to the Philistines for help. Now, everyone had rejected him Saul, Israel, Judah, Achish, and now his own men. At a point like this, David recognised his failure in drifting from Gods will and looked to God, but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God (1 Samuel 30:6). This is another of the many great buts in the Bible. Amid the ruins of his life, David had learned to stand alone, dependent only on God. The thieves could take the goods of David but they could never take away the God of David! Alexander Maclaren points out, Whatever else we lose, as long as we have Him we are rich; and whatever else we possess, we are poor as long as we have not Him. God is enough; whatever else may go. No doubt, David encouraged himself by reminding himself of who God was, what God had promised, what God had done for him, and what God could do for him. This is not positive thinking or increasing your self-esteem. It is a truly victorious sight observing David rejoicing in the faithfulness of his God. He did not hit back at his critics but simply leaned upon the Lord. The clouds will part and the sunshine of Gods love will come flowing through. Conclusion

It is easy to fall into the Slough of Despond like weary pilgrim in Pilgrims Progress. However, if we focus on God and His Word this will take us through every time when discouragement sets in. The Scottish preacher Andrew Bonar noted in his diary entry for October 15, 1864 that he had been meditating on Nahum 1:7, The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him. That very same day his beloved wife, Isabella passed away. With reference to the Scripture he had noted, and wrote Little did I think how I would need it half an hour after. Lucy Milward Booth (1868-1953) was the daughter of William and Catherine Booth, who founded the Salvation Army. In 1885 at just 17 years of age she penned this beautiful hymn of encouragement:

When you feel weakest, dangers surround, Subtle temptations, troubles abound, Nothing seems hopeful, nothing seems glad. All is despairing; oftentimes sad. Keep on believing, Jesus is near. Keep on believing, theres nothing to fear; Keep on believing, this is the way: Faith in the night, as well as the day.