Are you in despair? Are you grieving the loss of a loved one? Are you weary with weaknesses in your marriage? Are you continually concerned about flaws in your children? Are you disheartened by imperfections in your friends, if you have any? Are you disappointed with yourself and your own flaws and lacks? Have you been betrayed by a close friend? Are you under constant attack from your enemies? Do you lack the motivation to keep living? All of these things can cause despair. The devil lies to you and says things will never get any better. You begin to fear you are trapped in a “twilight zone”! Wait on God! He will bring you out of your despairing circumstances and bring you into joy, peace, and victory!
God Will Show You His Goodness in the Land of the Living
Psalm 27:13-14 (New American Standard Bible) offers us this encouragement when we are at rock bottom: “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” If you wait for God, or keep waiting for God, you WILL see His goodness here on earth!!! He can make you strong in faith, and your heart can take courage! Isaiah 49:23d says, “Those who hopefully wait for Me shall not be put to shame.” One translation says those who hopefully wait for God will not be disappointed! God will not disappoint you if you are trusting in Him! He can be counted on to come to your rescue!
Christ…Is Our Life!
One time I bawled my eyes out and pitifully asked God, “Please give me a reason to live!” His loving answer was “…Christ, who is our life.” Jesus Christ is the best reason to live! I felt immediately better when He said that!
Pleasing God is the Best Motivation for Ministry
If you minister to others like I do, you may find as I did that ministry itself isn’t always enough of a reason to want to be alive. You may look at your ministries and ask, as I did, “Is this it? Is this all the harvest I get?” Sometimes love for people isn’t enough motivation to keep ministering. A higher motivation is this: “God, I just want to please You. If You want us to do this together, then I will.” The deepest kind of ministry to others is this: God/Jesus is our divine Lover, and we are holding hands with Him walking through His garden. Song of Solomon 7:11 tells us, “Come, my beloved [our Beloved is Jesus!], let us go out into the country, let us spend the night in the villages. Let us rise early and go to the vineyards; let us see whether the vine has budded and its blossoms have opened, and whether the pomegranates have bloomed”! Our service to others is a way of spending loving time with God/Jesus in obedience to Him, as if strolling through a garden!
Jesus Did on Earth What He Saw His Heavenly Father Doing
When Jesus was on earth, He did what He saw the Heavenly Father doing. It says in John 5:19,
Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and greater works than these will He show Him, that you may marvel.
Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane with His impending death on the cross just before Him, “…Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup [of suffering] from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42). Wanting to please the Father kept Him motivated to give away His life and be crucified on a cross! Love for us also compelled Him! Jesus Himself said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). This is what Jesus did for the entire human race!!! When everyone left Jesus right before His crucifixion, He stayed true to the Father and the Father’s will! Knowing God’s will for us and doing what pleases God is the motivation that will keep us ministering and serving others when people’s reactions to our ministries are disappointing!
God Will Hide Us, Preserve Us, and Deliver Us
Can you relate to King David, a psalmist, who wrote, “For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [Selah.” (Psalm 32:4). I sure can at times! On one such occasion, the devil told me, “Things in your circumstances will never change.” I believed his lie and felt despair! It was one of the worst weeks of my life! David goes on a few verses later to say in Psalm 32:6-7,
Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they shall not reach him. Thou art my hiding place; Thou dost preserve me from trouble. Thou dost surround me with songs of deliverance. [Selah.
Are you in a flood of many waters? Turn to God! The waters will not reach you! God will hide you in Himself! He will preserve you from trouble! He will surround you with songs of deliverance! He has done the same for me in my times of trials! Have you found Him so, as well? Charlie, my husband, and I have encouraged each other many times, “God hasn’t brought us this far to drop us!” It is definitely true! (…because the Bible says so!)
Mercy Shall Compass You About
A few verses later in Psalm 32:10-11, David testifies, “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” If you trust in the LORD, mercy shall compass you about! It will be all around you! That is something to be glad about, rejoice about, and shout for joy about!
God’s Eye Is on the Righteous
We are offered this encouragement in Psalms 33:18-22:
Behold, the eye of the LORD is one those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have hoped in Thee.
Did you catch that? If you fear, or reverence, God, His eye is on You! You are never out of His sight! He sees and knows all you are going through! Hope in His lovingkindness! He will deliver your soul from death! He will keep you alive in whatever kind of famine you may find yourself in! His lovingkindness will be upon you as you hope in Him!
A Shout of Joy Comes in the Morning!
Psalm 30:5b says, “…Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” Are you weeping? Does your life feel like a dark night? You will shout with joy when God brings your spiritual morning!
God Will Deliver You Out of All of Your Troubles
Psalm 34:6 says, “This poor man cried and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” God will not save you out of some of your troubles, but all! The next verse in Psalm 34, verse 7, says, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.” God will encamp around you and rescue you! (Charlie and I believe the angel of the LORD is none other than Jesus Himself.)
Let me make an important point here. Your circumstances may or may not change right away. But your attitude toward them can change!
Those Who Take Refuge in God Will Be Blessed!
A couple of verses later in Psalm 34, verse 8 says, “O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Amen to that! Have you discovered this astounding truth? If you take refuge in the Lord, you will be so blessed! In Psalm 34:10, a couple of verses later, it says, “The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.” What a wonderful promise from God’s Word, the Bible! Sometimes we look at circumstances and fear God is not going to meet our needs and desires. Then we might even start trying to get our needs met in some spiritually unlawful ways. That is called idolatry. But that could be another blog.:) Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” What a promise! As you delight in God, He will give you the desires of your heart! He will implant within you the desires He intends to fulfill! Hallelujah!
God Hears Your Prayers and Will Bring You Out of Your Trials!
Do you ever wonder if God hears your prayers? Psalm 34:15 says, “The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry”! Do you believe that Jesus died on a cross and was resurrected, brought back to life, to forgive you and the rest of the world for your wrongs/sins? Do you live for Him? If so, you are righteous, and His ears are open to your cry!
Psalm 34:17-22 goes on to say,
The righteous cry and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked; and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants; and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
When you, the righteous, cry, the LORD hears and will deliver you out of all your troubles! He is near you when you are brokenhearted! He saves you when you are crushed in spirit! You will have many afflictions, but the LORD will deliver you out of them all! He keeps all your bones (spiritually)! Not one of them will be broken! If you are persecuted, the LORD will deal with your enemies and redeem your soul because you are His servant! If you take refuge in Him, you will not be condemned!
Psalm 42:6 says, “O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember Thee from the land of the Jordan, and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.” Remember God in your despair, and He will bring you out!
Are You Being Attacked by People?
If you feel attacked by people, I encourage you to read Psalm chapter 35! Psalm 41:9 says, “Even my close friend, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread has lifted up his heel against me.” Has that happened to you? It has happened to me! Boy, is that painful! One close friend turned on me, and it took a year for me to recover! But God did heal my heart and comfort me greatly during that year! I read the book of Psalms four times in a row to heal! God is faithful!
You Will Again Praise God, the Help of Your Countenance and Your God
We read in Psalm 42:9-11:
I will say to God my rock, “Why hast Thou forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.
We also read in Psalm 43:1-4:
Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! For Thou art the God of my strength; why hast Thou rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Thy holy hill, and to Thy dwelling places. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and upon the lyre I shall praise Thee, O God, my God.
Psalm 43:5 says the same as verse 11 above. Again, put your hope in God, and you will again praise Him! He is the help of your countenance (face), and your God! He will make you smile again! He will deliver you from oppressive enemies, including Satan, the devil, and from people who are speaking his lies!
The Remedy for an “Ashy Coal”
God gave me a vision last year. I saw myself as a coal. My coal was ashy and almost out. Then I saw Jesus as a hot coal next to mine. God told me, “You’re an ashy coal. Set your coal next to Jesus’ hot coal, and you will catch on fire again.” So, I stopped complaining about my problems and just started reading the Bible like crazy! Soon my joy returned! My ashy coal started heating up again! If you feel like an ashy coal, pray and read the Bible a lot. Jesus’ “hot coal” will fire you up again with love, inspiration, joy, and hope!
God Is the Strength of our Heart and Our Portion Forever!
In closing, let me share an uplifting passage with you, Psalm 73:21-28:
When my heart was embittered, and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before Thee. Nevertheless, I am continually with Thee; Thou hast take hold of my right hand. With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from Thee will perish; Thou hast destroyed all those who are unfaithful to Thee. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge that I may tell of all Thy works.
Maybe you and I don’t feel righteous sometimes. Maybe in our embittered state we feel like a senseless and ignorant beast before God. Nevertheless, we are continually with Him! He has taken hold of us by His right hand! With His counsel He will guide us, and afterward receive us to glory! No one can be there for us like God, as if He is the only One for us! Compared to Him, no earthly desire should be as great. That is the place of refuge and safety, when God Himself and pleasing God is our greatest desire! Those who are far from God will perish and be judged. But for us, the nearness of God is our good! He is our refuge, and we will testify of all of His works!
These verses above agree with Psalm 39:7, “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in Thee.”
God is the Remedy for Despair
Get on God’s side through a relationship with Jesus! He will pull you out of despair and hopelessness! He will turn all your sorrows to joy! He will give you the strength and peace to carry on! For God’s children, every trial has a happy ending!
Send me an email from the Contact page on my website, and tell me how I can pray for you in your trying times!
Here is an encouraging song from Toby Mac if you feel in despair, or even just discouraged:
TobyMac – Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight) (youtube.com)
I love this song from Tauren Wells and have listened to it many times when I have felt discouraged or in despair:
Tauren Wells – Carry On (Lyrics) (youtube.com)
This song is a beautiful prayer that I loved even as a teenager. It is by Leslie Phillips:
(622) Leslie Phillips – Strength Of My Life – YouTube
March 12, 2024 @ 12:54 pm
Some very timely words Shean Shields. May The Lord Jesus Christ continue to richly bless you and your family
March 12, 2024 @ 5:17 pm
Thank you so much, Robert! I will pray for you! May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to richly bless you and your family, as well!