In Psalms 42:5 David cried out; “why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”
David didn’t just say this one time, we see him speaking to his soul over and over again in the book of Psalms.
Have you ever felt this way? Disquieted in soul? To be disquieted means to be distracted from something, to murmur and complain, to be uncomfortable, and to complain over and over again.
I ask again, have you ever felt this way? Have you had a day or an hour where you were distracted from the promises of God? Distracted by the things you see and feel? Have you ever had a time where you began to speak against the promises of God and complain and murmur about why God seems to be far from you? Have you ever talked about your symptoms over and over again? Have you ever talked about your lack over and over again? If so, you have been disquieted in soul, just as David was.
Sometimes we have people around us to encourage us, but sometimes we don’t, some days we must encourage ourselves, just as David did. David said ‘soul, what is wrong with you? ‘Why are you questioning God? HOPE IN GOD.’
To hope in God means to wait and EXPECT God to do something on your behalf. To EXPECT God to do what he said he would do.
This reminds me of something I read around the first of the year. It was a prophetic word that said because we had stopped expecting God to do what he said he would do, favor, His favor, was departing from us.
I realize when you have one bad thing happen after another bad thing you may start to expect bad things – but you can’t do that – you have to encourage yourself in the Lord and expect a good God to show up and do what he has promised – you have to expect GOOD things to come your way. Since I read that word a few weeks ago, I have purposed in my heart to expect only good outcomes…and I have to tell you, I am seeing many more good outcomes.
The opposite of encouragement is discouragement. Discouragement does NOT come from the Lord and you can’t receive it or remain in it. You have to pull yourself out of it.
In 1 Samuel 30:6 David was facing extreme discouragement. David and his soldiers had just returned home to Ziklag, only to find that it had been burned with fire, and their wives and children were carried off by the Amalekites. Discouraged does not begin to describe what they were feeling. The Bible says they wept bitter tears until they simply had no more power to weep. For David, as their leader, the men spoke of stoning him. He was in distress, and it might have destroyed him completely, except for one thing….David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 says; David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
This resolve in David’s heart caused him to move forward and recover all.
Friends, discouragement only comes when you are walking by sight and not by faith. We simply must continue to encourage ourselves in God and walk by faith…not by sight.
So what did David do? What does the rest of the scripture say? For I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. The Amplified says; Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God.
We can never forget that our help comes from God. Everything we have need of is found in God and in his word. Search the scriptures, find his word for your promise and encourage yourself. AND….Praise God in advance for his help….Praise Him all the time…before you see it…when you see it and when you don’t see it. After all, He is YOUR help and YOUR God.
