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Show TALKING TO YOURSELF ABOUT DISCOURAGEMENT "Why art thou cast down, a 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! (Psalm 42: 5 and 11) " growing up, anybody caught talking to themselves was thought to be crazy and if they kept it up would be sent to the looney house. Today if you see somebody talking and nobody is When I was around, you have to be more careful. Yesterday, I saw a young man talking nobody was close enough for him to be talking to them. So I asked from across the way if he was talking to and himself. He raised up the line between 1 his cell ears phone and the connections in his and said he was on the phone. thought about that for a while and myself it may be a good thing for someone to talk to him or I said to her self, sometime. discouraged, disappointed, depressed that we need to do something as the song writer sang to So many of us are encourage ourselves. For discouragement, disappointment, and depression seem to be a way of life now. Some people seem to be sad and sorry all the time. Nothing seems to be going right, anytime. That is what was happening in Psalm 42. The Psalmist was discouraged. The people were empty of God and longed to be filled. They panted in their souls and thirsted in 2 their bodies for the Lord. Their eyes were filled with tears that they drank as they ran down their faces night and day. They wondered where God was. They had no joy and nothing to praise God for. They are at a point of quitting, sitting down and crying, and hanging their harps the willow trees. The economy is bad. Good health has disappeared. The bank on account is low. The Friends are bills are all due. few and far in between. Nobody seems discouraged. to care. We do get things. questions. So the Psalmist does three First, he asks himself some Then, he reminds himself of the whom He can acknowledges one really trust. Finally, what a make. 3 in he difference God can Yes, every now and them we ought to why we are "cast down" and "disquieted". For with God, we asked ourselves have no reason to be cast down or disquieted. "Why art thou cast down, a my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me." It happens but without real foundation when we are believers in God. We do get restless and feel uneasy when we focus on what we can see. We problem comes when to walk by sight instead of do fall down. Our we determine by faith. We put our trust in ourselves and overwhelmed by circumstances as we keep trying to move forward. Do like the prodigal son. Reason with yourself until you come to yours senses. The prodigal son talked to himself near the pig pen and even made up a speech for 4 his return home. Furthermore, we are cast down and disquieted because the work is not easy. Nobody promised that it would be. But we have come everything is to expect that with God going to be alright means "ease." Peter got in trouble when he walked by sight focused on the winds and the waves but he walked on the water by faith in Jesus Christ. The difficulties were not impossible with Jesus. Third, we get "cast down" and "disquieted" because the work we do is beyond our capacity. We need help along the way. We were not made to be alone. Our resources and training are insufficient. Jesus sent His disciples out two-by-two so that the work was possible. Still they came back empty5 handed, falling and failing until they received the Word, Spirit. Holy Spirit. We need the prayer, and the power of the Holy We have to "hope in God." For only one that will give us something to praise about. He will change our countenance. He will give us songs to sing even in strange lands. When we keep our eyes on God, He will root out our distressing, depressing, worrisome discouragement. He gives us unspeakable joy! Can you imagine the wedding party when they ran out of wine but Jesus He is the turned water into the best wine ever? Can you imagine the hungry crowd when Jesus broke the fish and loaves and they all had enough to the joy that came eat? Can you imagine to the disciples when 6 they had fished all night and caught nothing but got up in the morning and saw Jesus with breakfast already fixed? 7 on the shore |
