Discouragement is something I struggle with consistently, yet I'm often surprised at how one piece of bad news or a disappointing interaction can drag me down so quickly.
A little over a week ago I had the worst migraine headache I've ever experienced. I'm not sure what triggered it, but it was awful and I ended up having to spend almost the entire day in bed. Yuck.
A few days later, as I was still recovering, we got very disappointing news about an adoption situation our profile was supposed to be presented to. The details aren't important, but the information we received meant we wouldn't be presenting to that situation at all. Jason and I were both extremely disappointed. Between my lingering post-migraine headache and that emotional blow, I've pretty much been in a funk for the last week or so because of my discouragement. I've really been wondering how much longer we have to wait to become parents, fearing that it will never happen.
What about you?
Maybe you’re grappling with discouragement today too. You want to be content, but you’re filled with worries that your hopes will be dashed or your needs will not be met.
We become fearful and pessimistic when life doesn’t go as we’d hoped or planned. We forget God’s past faithfulness and lose sight of the hope we have in Him for the future.
You and I, we have to begin to view the world through a lens of gratitude instead of dissatisfaction. Using God’s Word as a template, we can ask the Holy Spirit to show us that God has cared for us perfectly in the past, and will faithfully continue to meet our needs for all time.
If you’re struggling with discontentment today, won’t you join me in asking God to help us find our satisfaction in Him, and thanking Him for faithful provision?
Today, I’m using Lamentations 3:-22-24 as a template for prayer and praise in the midst of discouragement:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
Precious Lord, we thank you for your unceasing love and your unending mercies. Help us to remember them when we are tempted to despair. Remind us of your past kindness to us so that our hearts may be filled with gratitude and hope instead of dissatisfaction and fear.
We are overwhelmed by your infinite grace: how amazing that we can never exhaust it! Because of Christ, we, who are faithless and fickle, can become your children! We have nothing to offer you, yet you still provide for us with abundance! We are forgiven and set free from sin, not because of our good works, but only because of your mercy! Because you, and you alone, are our portion, we have hope for the future.
We praise you with thanks!
Help us to treasure truth when discouragement creeps into our hearts. Open our eyes to your faithful love and mercy in our daily lives and in the truth of the Gospel so that we can proclaim it to others for your glory.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Respond
Do you ever pray using your Bible? What scriptures do you turn to as inspiration for prayer when you're feeling discouraged?
