Discouragement is defined as a loss of confidence or enthusiasm.  It can also mean to extinguish the courage of, to dishearten, or hopelessness.

There are many things in the world today that can discourage us.  Problems or issues with health, finances, other people, and even friends or family can weigh us down.  We can look around at the world today and see evildoers seeming to prosper and getting away with things, and we can feel discouraged about that.  

I would guess that most people have been discouraged at one time or another in their lives.  I know that I have been.

The Bible talks about discouragement, and various people who were discouraged or faced difficult times.  Psalm 42 was written, not by David, as one might expect, but by one of the sons of Korah. They were descendants from the tribe of Levi who were assigned responsibilities as musicians for the Tabernacle and the Temple.

Please take a few minutes right now to look at Psalm 42.

In verses 1-4, we can see that the writer of this psalm was going through a very tough time.   He talks about panting and thirsting after God.  He is desperate for God.  His tears have been like his food day and night—he hasn’t been eating anything. All he has been doing is crying.  His enemies are taunting him in his troubles, and saying “Where is your God?”  It’s like they were asking him, “Where is your God when you need him?  Is he really of any use?”

Thinking about these troubles causes the writer to pour out his soul.  He remembers good times with these same people that are now kicking him when he is down.

But I love verse 5-“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me?”  Those are two things that definitely spell discouragement—being cast down and disquieted—being anxious—not calm at all.

“Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”

Here is what someone has written about this verse:

“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?  Take those thoughts that come to you in the moment you wake up in the morning.  You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday.  Somebody is talking…your self is talking to you.  Now this man’s treatment in Psalm 42 was this: instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself.  ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul?’ he asks.  His soul had been depressing him, crushing him.  So he stands up and says, ‘Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you.’” (Unknown source)

Be careful about listening to yourself—but talk to yourself.  “Speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

So the symptoms of this man’s discouragement, depression or despair were:

1-He was full of Doubt—By people seemingly close to him (where is thy God?).

2-He was Cast down.

3-He was Disquieted-worry, disturb, uneasy, to deprive of calmness or peace.

The writer readily admitted that he was struggling at this time.

But what was involved in curing this discouragement that we read in verse 5?

1. Hope thou in God-trust in God.
2. For I shall yet praise Him-even when going through a discouraging time.
3. The help of his countenance-Look to God for the answers!

I’m going to trust him, praise him, and look to him for help!

Then look at verse 6,

He talks about how his soul is cast down within him, so he is going to remember —remember God, and what he has done in the past, from the land of Jordan, the promised land, from the Hermonites and the hill Mizar—the area of the headwaters of the Jordan River. Remembering what God has done gives him courage and motivation to keep hoping and praising and looking to God.

Verse 7 talks about the deep, the waterspouts, the waves and billows.  In his despair he may have felt like he was drowning in the despair that he was feeling.

Verse 8 turns it again, though, back to the Lord—“Yet, the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the day time”—I know God loves me—he felt like he was drowning, but God has given him a lifeline—his love, that endures forever,  and then

“in the night his song shall be with me”.

When we are going through a difficult time, the nights can be the hardest.  It’s like dark and lying thoughts come into our minds, and things seem hopeless.  When I have experienced times like these, I will try to start singing a spiritual song in my head, and speaking truth from God’s word to the lies that are coming at me.

The verse finishes with, “and my prayer unto the God of my life”.

“I will say unto God, my rock”,–he acknowledges that God is his rock—that’s a good thing.

Verse 9- “Why has thou forgotten me?  Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10-“As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, where is thy God?”

His feelings are fighting against his faith.

Another important thing to remember is that faith is not a feeling.  Our feelings can lie to us.  Our faith is based on God’s word, and we have to continually remind ourselves of that as we are encouraging ourselves in the Lord.

The chapter closes with a repeat of verse 5, it says,

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.“

When you are discouraged, pray and admit that your soul is thirsting for God and that your hope is in God. Praise God and look to God for your help.  Ask him to help you to remember all that He has done for you.  Ask for His song to be with you in your troubled nights.  The best way to fight against discouragement, and to be encouraged, is focusing on what God has done for you.  Hope in a time of despair must be centered on God alone.

I pray that this psalm has been an encouragement to you, as it has been for me.

I would also like to encourage you to please plan to attend the Missionary Reunion this year if at all possible.  I know that it will be a time of great fellowship and encouragement for you and your family.  This year special pricing is available to make it super affordable.

God bless, and please feel free to email me with any thoughts about this month’s blog.  pkonnerup@bbfimissions.com