Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
1 17 2023
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Seeds of Dismay- Disheartenment – Discouragement and Despair
Psalm 77 “I cried out to the Lord for help: I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I thought the Lord; at night I stretched out on tiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted”.
The message is that to brood on sorrow is to be broken and disheartened, while to see God is to sing even in the darkest of days.
As a young man, for years, I used to struggle with insomnia. I just couldn’t keep my mind from racing and reliving the events of the day or the preparation for the morrow. I tried sleeping pills and every remedy I could find. I was tired and grumpy, I was discouraged and disheartened
And then I came to a place where maybe I just needed to pray. Have you ever woken up in the wee hours of the morning but didn’t know why and then found out later that something had happened about that time? Or something happened a short time later and perhaps God was calling you to cover it in prayer?
But I was searching for a logical answer, some reasonable explanation. I can honestly say that at that time I was still a young Christian trying to find my walk with God.
Then I thought Maybe I was under some kind of attack. Maybe I just needed to cast all my cares upon him and fight in the spirit. Or to read my Bible until I couldn’t hold my eyes open.
So What is despondency? Is it a sin?
(I digress, but in the world that we live in today there seems to be a real push back of calling anything sin)
The definition is a state of low spirits caused by a loss of hope or courage. It says someone despairing, desperate, meaning that they have lost all or nearly all hope. It says that it implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of uselessness for further effort. I think in a word… people can just give up. Stop trying. They just settle for the thought that this is how I am or this is how I’m wired.
I’ve often said there is a difference between letting a thought fly across your mind like a bird passing by, versus allowing them to stop and build a nest.
I think when we leave things that we know that are wrong to grow within us… that’s a sin. Discouragement and despair when left to their own accord are destructive and can be fatal. We are to take every thought captive and not allow them to take root in our souls where they become sin. But one thing is certain, in my mind, we have not leaned on the Lord but instead on our own understanding.
I believe that despondency can happen in every area of life. Physically, mentally spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically.
Most often when the believer cries out to God and senses he or she is heard, it brings the peaceful assurance of faith, but This is not always the case. Sometimes – especially when we remain in our difficulty instead of being delivered from it – we may have the sense that God has heard us… yet our trouble remains, bringing even more frustration and not less. More depression…more despondency and a loss of faith and hope.
Perhaps this was some of what Paul felt regarding his thorn in the flesh described in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. At first, he felt the frustration of unanswered prayer; then he felt the challenge of prayer answered, but not according to his original expectation
“My soul refused to be comforted”: Encouraging thoughts came to mind but were immediately put away. Friends spoke of God’s goodness in the present and brighter future, but the soul refused any comfort. Sometimes comfort is refused because it is superficial.
This is not a time to take a friend’s suggestion to binge on a mini-series or movie to get our mind off of the situation. What you don’t need is a night on the town or some worldly diversion.
The Answer:
“Days of trouble must be days of prayer; in days of inward trouble, especially when God seems to have withdrawn from us, we must seek him, and seek till we find him. On the day of his trouble, he did not seek the diversions of business or recreation, to shake off his trouble that way, but he sought God, and his favor and grace. Those that are under trouble of mind, must not think to drink it away, or laugh it away, but pray it away.” (Henry, cited in Spurgeon)
These are days and seasons when we need our prayer family. We need friends of faith to stand with us, especially on days when we cannot stand alone. It is why he sent the disciples out in two’s. He warns us to not walk alone.
Wherever you are today in your battle…it isn’t a destination…don’t be disheartened, or dismayed. Don’t lose hope! Reach out to God’s people. In your small group or bible study…be transparent about your struggle regardless of what it is. If you don’t have that kind of group… call me so we can talk and pray together. Do not try to walk through the valley alone.
Tell your heart to beat again. Danny Gokey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUHRDCYnFfg
