RESPONSE TO DISCOURAGEMENT
Memorise: Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and
of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou
dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9, Read: 1st Samuel
30:3-8, Bible in one year: Nehemiah 1-3, John 6:52-71
David’s response to the distress he was confronted with,
after his family and those of his men were taken captive,
shall serve as an example of what our response shall be in
the face of discouragement. The Bible in 1st Samuel 30:8
say:
“And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue
after his troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered
him, pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and
without fail recover all.
Whenever you experience a loss, you need to go back to
God to find out if it is possible to recover what was lost, and
how such recovery would be achieved. Do not take it for
granted that every loss must be recovered. Sometimes,
when the Lord calls home a loved one who is very ill and
going through excruciating pain, there might be no need for
Him to return such a fellow back to life, except of course if
He wants to heal such a fellow. Also, if a blessing is already
becoming a curse or something else, it may be preferable
for such a blessing to go for the greater good. Have you
taken time to ask God about His will concerning your losses?
Have you also asked how such losses can be recovered?
We can see from today’s Bible reading that people respond
to discouragement in different ways. Some people do not
mind going to any extreme when they are discouraged. At
the point of discouragement, David’s men suddenly blamed
the same leader who had been protecting them. They began
to see their helper as the source of their loss. They began to
speak against him and even planned to stone him to death!
This shows the destructive power of discouragement. How
do you handle situations when you are discouraged? Do you
turn your helpers into enemies? There are some believers
including ministers, who at the height of discouragement
deliberately step out of righteousness and return
temporarily to the sinful lifestyle they abandoned several
years ago. This type of responses is wrong. When faced with
discouragement, encourage yourself in the Lord. Study
God’s word to receive a word of encouragement and
direction. Pray to God, praise and thank Him for all past
blessings and worship Him. Doing those may be difficult, but
ask for grace to do so. Seek counselling from godly people.
Also, ask yourself: what does Satan want me to do in this
situation? Ensured you don’t act according to his
expectation.
KEY POINT :
Discouragement is an arrow that must be returned to
its source with haste.
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