New Reminders: Discouraged
by Ardith Hoff
We have all been discouraged from time to time, especially when things do not work out as we had hoped they would. The word “discouraged” literally means to be deprived of courage, hope, or confidence. It may take the form of feeling disheartened, dispirited, intimidated, disparaged, depressed or daunted. Whatever is causing the situation we find ourselves in might leave us feeling hopeless or defeated. In some serious cases, we might even feel ready to completely give up or to take drastic action to escape feelings of desperation.
Isaiah 41:10 states: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand". While desperation itself is not a virtue, the Bible recognizes that it can be a turning point for seeking God and experiencing His presence. The scriptures offer comfort, guidance, and encouragement to trust in God's faithfulness and find refuge in His promises during difficult times.
Instead of being consumed by despair, the Bible emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's faithfulness. Psalm 56:3 encourages trusting in God even when facing fear, and Romans 15:13 highlights the role of faith in experiencing joy and peace. It may be hard to trust, and our faith may be tested in times of despair, but we can learn from the experiences of people like the apostle Paul. Paul had multiple life-threatening experiences. He suffered multiple dangers and shipwrecks, and in each case, Paul called upon God and each experience strengthened Paul’s faith and trust in God.
Despite the trials, difficulties and the obvious times of despair, Paul encourages believers to press on. He never downplays the despair, and he doesn’t put a time frame on how long you might have to endure the affliction, nor does he give pat answers like “Just pray about it.” or “You have a sin problem.” He says that no matter the conditions in our lives, we need to make a commitment to keep our faith and keep our eyes on Jesus. Whatever the situation, we should always remember that it's okay to pour out our hearts to God. In fact, He invites us to cast our anxieties on Him because He cares for us.
In Romans 8:38-39 Paul writes: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Lamentations 3:22-23 says: “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!” These verses and many others can be consulted any time we are discouraged, depressed, have made a mistake, feel lonely, don’t feel valued, etc. It’s normal to think such thoughts, but we don’t need to dwell on them. These verses help us to reflect on how God views us. They show us the unconditional love He has for us that He offered his only son Jesus die so that we might live.