5 Things to do in times of discouragement

King James Version Psalm 42

As the hart panteth after the water brooks,

So panteth my soul after thee, O God.

2  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:

When shall I come and appear before God?

3  My tears have been my meat day and night,

While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

4  When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me:

For I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God,

With the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

5  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?

Hope thou in God: for I shall yet kpraise him

For the help of his countenance.

6  O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee

From the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.

7  Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:

All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

8  Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime,

And in the night his song shall be with me,

And my prayer unto the God of my life.

9  I will say unto God my rock, Why hast 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?

11  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.

There is a difference between being sad and being discouraged

Watch for discouragement starting to turn into self-pity.

Watch for discouragement starting to paralyze you and keeping you from doing what you should.

Watch for the threat to the abiding contentment that you have in God, so that you can’t say “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).

Do you ever feel anxious?

Do you ever feel discouraged?

I know I certainly do

When was a time you felt anxious?

Big assignment

Big game

Before a performance

Over corona virus (quarantine)

Remember breaking up with former gf…I was incredibly discouraged, angry.

I felt like God had forgotten me

here are 5 things I learned and ways to respond to discouragment

Thirst for God (v.1-4)

It is not wrong to want relief from hardships

It is not wrong to want your hardships to end

But, we need to remember God gives us testing to help us, not to hurt us.

Don’t become discouraged by testing in your life (There hath no temptation taken you…)

We see the Psalmist is thirsting for God in His hardest times.

How do we thirst for God?

Repent for not thirsting for God

Ask God to help you

Find accountability

Dig deep into God’s word (Focus on His promises)

the more uyo know about someone, the more you love them.

Remember past worship experiences (v.4b)

obviously, there was no “church” at this time,

But we see the psalmist is remembering his past worship experiences.

Corporate worship is so important for our daily lives.

It is important to make sure that you’re sticking with your church

God means for these encounters with him in corporate worship to preserve your faith now and in the way you remember them later

He is not engaging in nostalgia. He is confirming his faith in the midst of turmoil and discouragement by remembering how real God was in corporate worship.

He preaches to His own soul (v.5)

King James Version Psalm 42

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?

Hope thou in God: for I shall yet kpraise him

For the help of his countenance.

This may sound weird, but it is so important when fighting discouragement

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 the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them but they are talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? 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 moment, I will speak to you.” (Spiritual Depression, 20–21)

We need to learn that the greatest hope of fighting depression, anxiety, etc. is preaching the cross of christ daily to ourselves.

It’s not anti-depresants

it’s not escaping our problems

it’s not trying to get our mind on somethign else.

It’s preaching to ourselves daily

Listen, self: If God is for you, who can be against you? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for you, how will he not also with him graciously give you all things? Who shall bring any charge against you as God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for you. Who shall separate you from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:31–35 paraphrased)

He sings (v.8)

Ok, i know what you’re thinking

You think i’m going to sing?

A famous musician said music speaks where words fail

Music is incredibly powerful

Don’t allow music to bring your emotions down.

Listen to things that will build you up

No matter your preferred genre, I can give you GREAT music to help you be encouraged in hard times

-Think of songs like “His mercy is more” (Stronger than darkness, new every morn, our sins they are many his mercy is more)

He affirms God’s steadfast love (v.8)

Even in the hard times, he remembers GOd

He can only do this because He thirsts for God.

King James Version Chapter 4

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.