An All-Time Encouragement

Do you sometimes get the feeling that life is so unfair? In this fallen world
that we live in, it seems easier to find reasons to be discouraged that be
encouraged.

The Bible speaks of people who were as normal as we are. The

characters in the Bible were not perfect, they were not immune from
problems, much less from discouragement.

Let us remember David. Yes, he was a king, perhaps the greatest King
that Israel ever had. But even in his greatness, he had his share of
disappointments and frustrations. Not everyone completely accepted him,
not everyone regarded him as great.

Do you recall the story in 1 Sam. 30: 1- 19? The chapter started with
David and his 600 men arriving at Ziklag from Aphek. Instead of finding rest
in their homes and joy with their families as they expected, they found their
hometown burned, plundered and their wives and children taken captive!
David’s men were so hurt by this discovery that they wept aloud until they
had no strength left to weep.

Exhausted from their 3-day journey and heartbroken by the situation that
they came to, the warriors had enough reason to be angry. They directed
their anger toward David and attempted to stone him. David himself was
also exhausted, his own family was also taken captive, then in middle of
his grief, his own men were blaming him for the tragedy. If you were
David, how would you feel? David too had enough reason to be angry.
The Bible however said, “…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his
God.” There was no one who caused him to be encouraged. David
encouraged himself. But note that he did not just encourage himself… he
encouraged himself IN THE LORD HIS GOD.

Don’t you sometimes feel that kind of discouragement? You have given
your life to the ministry, you are doing your best to make the work grow, you
treat people right, you sacrifice your own comfort and happiness for the
sake of the ministry. Yet, things do not always turn out well. Problems
happen when you least expected it, the people whom you expect to be your
source of encouragement are the very people who try to put you down. In
times like these, it is easy to be cast down and just give up. But of course,
you know that there is a better choice. We can exercise our positive
volition like David.

David could have chosen to be downcast by the situation. But he chose to

go to the right direction… toward God. He found it better to trust in God
than to put confidence in man.

Like David , how can we be able to encourage ourselves in the Lord ?

First, David was a prayerful man. He was in constant communication with
God. David would inquire of the Lord when he goes to battle. Because of
his constant communication with God, the Lord lovingly revealed His plan
and will to David. He kept David shielded from his enemies especially
when he was being pursued by Saul. He did not let David experience
complete defeat in battles although He allowed him to feel the hurt of losing
in some fights to teach him the virtue of humility. David’s prayer was not
just part of his routine. It was the lifeblood of his faith. His Psalms are a
reflection of how prayerful a man David was. Second, David regularly
meditated the law of the Lord as he himself wrote in Psalm 1:2. Did you
realize that the longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119? It was written by
David and spoke about the statues, precepts and commands of God. This
only proves that God’s Word was paramount in David’s life. Third, David
delighted in going to the house of the Lord, it was there where he would find
spiritual renewal. Isn’t that supposed to be our attitude towards going to
church? Christians who are consistent and faithful in their church life is far
from being discouraged.

These important examples of David can be our own source of

encouragement today. Doing these things, of course, does not promise us
a perfectly worry free life. But what we can be sure of is that the Lord will
honor our being in submission to Him even in times of deep
discouragement.

When things and people around us make it easy for us to be depressed and
disheartened, we need do not lose sight of God. Yes, of course, we can
turn to our friends and count on them to make us feel better. But what if
even our so called friends cannot give us the support that we need? It can
happen, can’t it? When the very friends we thought we could count on
would let us down, it could be that the Lord is teaching us to count only on
Him. It could be that just like David, we need to make the choice of whether
to be affected by what is happening around us or to keep our focus on the
Lord, then allow ourselves to be still and know that He indeed is God.
You know the end of the story in I Sam. 30. When David inquired of the
Lord about the battle with the Amalekites, the Lord told him to pursue the
attack. When David found encouragement in the Lord, he was also able to
encourage his fainting men and enabled them to accomplish a great thing
The Lord gave him and his men the victory and they were able to recover
what they lost. In the end, God was honored and glorified. David did not
credit himself for the victory. It was out of David’s trust and confidence in
the Lord that gave him that needed source of encouragement from God.
David was aware that whatever happens in his life, God would always work
everything for his good. He recognized God’s sovereignty and
acknowledged His rightful ownership over him.

What important lesson is the Bible teaching us here? There are always
wonderful results when we leave things to God and let Him be our
encouragement no matter how things can be. David was such a man who,
even if he’s not perfect, would always seek strength and refuge from the
Lord. No wonder God called David as the man after His own heart. Don’t
you want to be called like that?

How discouraged are you today? How low is your spirit because your
labor in God’s vineyard seem to be in vain? How disappointed are you over
your so called friends who turn their backs on you when you need them?
These are tough questions that need firm answers. Will you let your
dreary situation drag you down or will you encourage yourself in the Lord
your God? Answer that in the privacy of your own soul.

Pastor Garry Tabungar

CWC - III