Praise is the cure for discouragement!
God is going to determine how things work out and I need to trust Him with that.
February 27
Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!
Psalm 43:5
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Praise is the cure for discouragement!
It is difficult to tell when this psalm was written. It could have been written during the reigns of David or Solomon, though it is not likely. Most believe that it was written after that time and could have been written during the time of the exile. Whatever the time period, the writer is discouraged and sad about something.
Those two emotions, discouragement and sadness, are so prevalent within the people who are serving God that it makes you wonder why they are serving at all! Being in ministry can be very discouraging and at times bring great sadness to your life. Is that how God wants His servants to feel? Absolutely not! It is a joy to serve the LORD. It is an unbelievable privilege to be used by the Almighty God to touch the lives of others and to have an impact on their eternity.
In our text for today we see the reason why many feel discouraged and sad in ministry; because they have stopped putting their hope in God for that area of their life. When our hope is in God and we trust Him fully and completely then there is nothing to be discouraged about. He is in control of everything and is responsible for everything. The source of discouragement is often dissatisfaction or discontentment with the results that are being seen. The results in your ministry or church are not your responsibility; they are God’s
If our hope is in God, then our state of mind does not depend on the results that we are seeing in our lives, families, ministries, or churches. God is going to determine how things work out and I need to trust Him with that. Once I have done that I no longer have anything to be discouraged about. The results, no matter how I feel about them will be used by God to accomplish His plans. We all need to trust in that.
Our text for today also gives us the remedy for this problem of discouragement; praise. Recognize that God is God and that Jesus is your Savior and then praise Him. Few things can drive away discouragement or sadness like praising God. When we praise God through word, song, or prayer we are going back to that place of intimate fellowship with Him that He desires we would stay in.
Discouragement and sadness are signs that you have moved away from that intimate fellowship with the Lover of your soul Jesus Christ. When you find yourself feeling sad or discouraged remember who God is and what Jesus has done for you and then praise Him. Jesus, help us to stay in that intimate place of fellowship that brings joy to our hearts.