BATTLING DISCOURAGMENT

Psalm 55

How often we have been like the poor man who was carrying a load of sticks, but became tired. As he sat down beside the lane, he muttered, "I am sick and tired of this. I wish death would come and relieve me." In an instant Death slipped up to him and said, "Here I am, what do you want of me?" Our flabbergasted friend stammered, "I want you to help me put this bundle of sticks on my back again." We are all prone to think that our load of sticks is heavier, that our road more difficult, and that our enemies are more daring than any other Christian's.

Are you ever discouraged on the path to Heaven? Perhaps depression has you sidelined and in active in your service for the Lord. Here is an outline that I found in the Sermon Notebook of Pastor Alan Carr's which has helped me and that, I trust, will also be a help to you.

In Psalm 55, we find a believer, David, whose son had turned against him, whose best friends were trying to kill him, and he felt very alone. He sailed a stormy sea like many of us. Let's learn from David.

1. Notice some aspects of DAVID'S DISCOURAGEMENT; Consider the situation he was in with Absalom, his son, rebelling against him, Ahithophel his dear friend giving Absalom counsel to have David's kingdom taken from him and to leave David dead. Folks, how David felt is usually exactly how we feel when we get discouraged.
- HE FELT DESERTED, v 1-2; Though he was not deserted and we are not, there are times when we feel like we are all alone. That is an awful feeling to have. Sometimes it comes out in kids as homesickness. In adults it can be homesickness or just this desperate feeling of ALONENESS. (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20 show us the truth of our situations, but we are prone to forget.)
- HE FELT DECEIVED, v.3, 9-15, 20-21; The story of this deception is found in 2 Samuel 17:23; @ Samuel 23:34; and has it's root in 2 Samuel 11:1-4. David's sin with Bathsheba resulted in bitterness in his best friend's heart. Ahithophel then plotted David's destruction with the rebellious Absalom. Imagine, and some of us do not have to imagine very hard, that hose with whom you have worshiped the Lord, who you have taken sweet counsel with, and with whom you have entrusted your friendship turning against you. Not simply drifting off, but actually turning in a vengeance against you out of their bitterness. Bitterness of course will destroy you. Do not be the guilty party here. Do not play with the fire of bitterness or you will be consumed. Pull it our by the roots! David however, felt deceived as the friendly smile turned to bitter anger.
- HE FELT DIRTY, v. 4; Often this is the main cause of depression. A feeling of guilt. Guilt can either be imaginary or it can be real. It can just be a feeling or it can be an actual judicial, legal difficulty between us and our holy God. Both of these can and should be dealt with. Jesus died on the cross for our cleansing! He will wash you and remove every stain of sin which causes real guilt before God. God invites, "Come now and let us reason together. . .though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18. We can be clean. The real guilt can be taken away. That false feeling of guilt that comes when we remember our failures of past days must be taken to the Word of God. God's Promises must be claimed. These feelings are not from God, if we have already confessed these things. These guilt feelings are brought up by our enemy, the devil, and we battle him using the Word of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
- HE FELT DEFEATED, v. 5; What a way for the hero of Israel to feel! The one who had brought victory after victory as he served the Lord now was trembling and fearful. Sometimes we feel this way, too. We feel like we could sit on the curb and dangle our feet without touching the ground. Like we could walk under the belly of a snake. We feel like we have blown it and there is no hope of recovery! David's discouragement expressed itself in these ways and in these feelings.

2. DAVID'S DESIRE v 6-8;
- He wanted to sprout wings so he could FLY AWAY, v.6; God does not always want to get us out of a situation, but we sure would like to be somewhere else. Like those funny Southwest Airlines commercials that ask the question, "Want to get away?" we often would just like to run away from our situation.
- He wanted to FLEE AWAY, v.7; into the wilderness. To get away like some hermit. To head for the wilderness.
- He wanted to FLOAT AWAY, v.8;
But we cannot run from our problems, we must face them with God's help. Like the Israelites coming out of the wilderness, we must face our giants with God's help. We must face them today or we must face them again later. HOW CAN WE FACE THESE GIANTS?

3. DAVID'S DELIVERANCE v.16-23; Here are the principles that can help us live our lives in joy and in victory.
- CALL UPON GOD - Pray, v.16-17 (Isaiah 65:24; Jeremiah 33:3; John 14:13-14; James 5:16) When i am discouraged, it is time to lay it all out before God and LEAVE IT. Do not bring your burden to the altar and as you go back to your seat, pick it up and take it with you. LEAVE YOUR BURDEN WITH HIM? "Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, thy wings shall my petition bear. . ." Call unto me, and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things that thou knowest not, God invites in Jeremiah. Just remember that God is always bigger than your problems.
- COMMUNE WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE v.18; Whether we like to admit it or not, some folks are not good to be around. Not because we feel uncomfortable either, but because they do not help us get and stay close to the Lord. Psalm 1 gives clear warning as it outlines the path to the blessed life. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, not sitteth in the seat of the scornful." When discouraged, go up to the house of God and commune with the people of God in the Word of God. It is sad that there are so-called churches today who are not any more spiritual than a barroom. God help us to come back to Him so that the discouraged souls may enter the place of worship and really sense the love of God and the presence of God so they can be helped.
- CAST AWAY YOUR BURDENS v.22a; What an awesome privilege we have! We are invited to cast our burden on the Lord. We are promised His sustaining power! That is a good time to shout right there! Hallelujah! Give that mess to Him. We came in to the church this morning and PHEW what s atink!! It is garbage day here and ours was needing to go away. We could tell by the smell. You have this burden that is like that old garbage, so take it to God and leave it there. Too many Christians carry their stinking garbage around with them all the time. No wonder we lose our witnessing power. Let's exercise this blessed privilege and cast our burdens on our God. (1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 11:28)
- CONTINUE IN HIM v.22b; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Though tempted to throw in the towel and "give up church", do not do it! Keep on keeping on. The gray skies will clear. Jesus told His disciples to throw their nets again in the same place where they had fished all night and caught nothing. Let that remind us that the victory can be had right were our biggest failures took place.
- CONSIDER HIM v.23; Hebrews 12:1-3; Ephesians 3:20; When we do not know where to turn, let us turn our eyes again to t One Who loves us and Who has gone through the same things we have. Some years ago a man living in Wales was involved in an unfortunate mining accident which necessitated the amputation of his right leg. After a period in the hospital, he went to a prosthesis maker to be supplied with an artificial leg. When the appendage was strapped to the stump, which was all that remained of the injured leg, the attendant requested that the patient get up and walk across the floor. Awkwardly, the man struggled to his feet and staggered across the room. Then dragging himself painfully back to his chair, he slumped into it utterly exhausted and discouraged. "That's not how to do it," said the attendant. "Watch this!" Then he walked gracefully across the floor. "Ah," exclaimed the patient, "It's all very easy for you because you don't have any disability." "Oh, haven't I?" replied the attendant. "Look." Pulling up the legs of his trousers, he disclosed that he was not wearing just one artificial limb, but TWO!
Too many times we doubt or we get depressed and discouraged and we are inclined to say, "Jesus, it was easy for You. You were God and could not sin. You never tasted the abundance of daily temptation, toil, and frustration." Yet the writer of Hebrews tells us that our High Priest, Jesus was tempted in all points, like as we are. He sounded the depths of human emotions and trials so that He could effectively intercede for us as our Great High Priest in the heavenlies. So the next time you find yourself doubting you can finish the race, look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. The next time you are depressed about giving thing sup for God, look to Jesus Who gave up even more. The next time you are discouraged, remember the ultimate sacrifice - Jesus bearing the sins of the world on the cross as God turned His back - all to say, "I LOVE YOU" to us.

Will you do it today? I trust that this has helped you as it has helped me. Thank God for His precious Word a medicine for hurting hearts.
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