Dealing with Discouragement
by John Morris
SATAN'S SALE
The story is told that one day Satan put
his tools up for sale. They were many
and varied. Tools of similar type were
grouped together. On one table were
displayed some of Satan's best-known
devices: pride, selfishness, deceit, addiction, hatred. On another were tools of a
different sort-things not sinful in and
of themselves, but which the tempter is
sometimes able to skillfully manipulate
for his own purposes: pleasure, friendship, talent, anger. And then set apart
from these collections, on a third table,
was another instrument, unlabeled and
unpriced. A curious shopper asked Satan
about the tool. He responded, "That one's
not for sale. It's too valuable to me. With
that tool I can pry into almost any human
heart, and once in, begin to work my will."
Impressed by the description, the shopper
inquired, "What's it called?" Picking it
up and weighing it in his hands appreciatively, Satan replied, "Discouragement."
DISCOURAGEMENT DEFINED
Discouragement is a loss of hope. It is
a loss of expectation that a desired end
can or will ever be achieved. It can be
prompted by factors arising from without
or within, can vary in severity, but is
always characterized by the same basic
condition-loss of hope. Loss of hope
that I will ever make it through a trying
time. Loss of hope that I will ever reach a
desired goal. Loss of hope that things will
ever get better.
We've all been there. And we'll probably
be back. Discouragement just seems to
be part of the human experience. Like
so many things, it is "common to man"
(1 Corinthians 10:13). And there's noth-
ing wrong with it, in and of itself.
DISCOURAGEMENT'S DANGERS
But losing hope can be dangerous. Too much
hope lost, or hope lost too long, can move
us from discouragement to despair, from
being down to being depressed. And those
are places of paralysis. When we lose hope,
we lose the will to act. And losing the will
to act-at least in matters related to faith-
cannot help but result in eventual loss to
the evil one. "Faith without deeds is useless"
(James 2:20). Action is not only indispens-
able to recovery (from discouragement, or
almost anything else), but it is indispensable
to living for the Lord. And so, discourage-
ment, to the degree possible, is something
to be minimized. And when it does come, it
needs to be overcome. But how?
God gives us answers in 1 Kings 19.
THE EXAMPLE OF ELIJAH
The prophet Elijah had just had "a
mountaintop experience."1
Atop Mount
Carmel, before an assembly of irresolute
Israelites, he had called upon God to
demonstrate His power, and the Most
High had responded with fire from
heaven! The people had fallen on their
faces in renewed reverence, and declared,
"The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He
is God!" And their declaration had been
followed with action. In obedience to
Elijah's command, they had arrested the
state-funded prophets of Baal, enabling
Elijah to put an end to the prophets'
idolatrous influence finally and forever.
A resounding victory! But then events
took a drastic turn for the worse. Elijah
was informed by the queen's messenger
that the victory was going to cost him his
life. Jezebel had not been moved to repentance, but to revenge. And so in very short
order, Elijah was transported from the
mountaintop to the "valley of the shadow
of death." He ran for his life, heading
south to safety, and on the way began to
brood. And he came to some conclusions:
- "I am no better than my fathers!"
(1 Kings 19:4).
I'm a failure.
- "[T]he children of Israel have forsaken
your covenant, torn down your altars,
and killed Your prophets with the
sword. I alone am left" (1 Kings 19:10).
I'm all alone.
- "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my
life" (1 Kings 19:4).
I want to die.
Elijah was a deeply discouraged man.
He had lost hope, and had lost heart.
Life was no longer worth living. His was
a wasted existence. There was no use in
even trying anymore.
What could be said or done to help Elijah
overcome his discouragement? Or us when
we feel similarly? God shows us the way.
1. GOD TOOK CARE OF ELIJAH'S BODY
First, God let Elijah get some rest, and
then made sure Elijah got something to
eat (1 Kings 19:5-6). He did this twice
(1 Kings 19:6-7). Sometimes, the best
bridge between despair and hope is a good
night's sleep. Sometimes, just getting a
little something in our stomach can do
wonders for our mental outlook (just think
what we observe in children!). The flesh is
weak (Matthew 26:41). Lack of sleep, lack
of nutrition, lack of exercise-these are all
medically-recognized, potential contributors to discouragement and depression.
Sometimes, though it may not solve our
problems, we can help ourselves just by
taking care of the body.
2. GOD HELPED ELIJAH WITH HIS THOUGHT LIFE
God told Elijah, "I have reserved seven
thousand in Israel, all whose knees have
not bowed to Baal" (1 Kings 19:18).
Elijah's dismal outlook was based, in part,
on bogus information-namely, his belief
that he was all alone. Correcting that misunderstanding helped bring about a
revolution in how Elijah felt. The same
holds true for us. Sometimes, we need
to tweak what we're telling ourselves-
about ourselves, about others, about our
circumstances, even about God. Are we
telling ourselves the truth? The prophet
David asked, "LORD, who may abide in
Your tabernacle [which includes enjoying
God's presence and protection]?" David
answered: "He who...speaks the truth in
his heart" (Psalm 15:1-2). Truth is important, even when we're talking to no one but
ourselves. And it's powerful. It changes
how we think, which changes how we feel,
even when there may be no change in our
circumstances. "And you shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free"
(John 8:32).
3. GOD GAVE ELIJAH MEANINGFUL WORK TO DO
Work is therapeutic. It gives us a sense of
purpose and accomplishment (integral to
joy) which can, in turn, cast people and
experiences in a different light. It also
helps us get our minds off ourselves and
the things that discourage us. Sometimes
our low times come simply because we're
spending too much time thinking about
ourselves and how things aren't going
our way. Meaningful, engrossing work
can really help crash a pity party! After
taking care of Elijah's body, and clearing
up his misunderstanding, God then gave
Elijah a trifecta of tasks, three new jobs:
- anoint Hazael as king over Syria;
- anoint Jehu as king over Israel; and
- anoint Elisha as prophet in his place
(1 Kings 19:15-17)-plenty of work to
keep him busy for a while. And significantly, not busy work. It was meaningful
work, God's work. Always, there is more
work to be done in the cause of Christ
than there are workers to do it. When we
get discouraged, it may serve us well to
just get our minds on, and get our hands
busy in, God's work. It worked for Elijah.
GOD GAVE ELIJAH A GODLY FRIEND
Finally, the man who believed he was all
alone was given a companion to work
alongside for the rest of his life. "There is
a friend who sticks closer than a brother"
(Proverbs 18:24), and Elisha would stick
with Elijah to the very end. No man is
an island. Everybody needs somebody.
But that somebody can be hard to find, at
times. Elijah had to travel from Horeb (in
Arabia) back to Israel to find his friend,
a journey of over a month. We may need
put forth some extra effort, as well. We
may need to visit a different congregation,
attend events where potential godly friends
are likely to be found, cross generational
gaps, or get outside our comfort zone in
some other way. "A man who has friends
must himself be friendly" (Proverbs
18:24). But the blessing of a good, godly
friend will make it worth all the effort.
Such a friend can make all the difference
when discouragement comes calling.
CONCLUSION
The Bible has much more to say that can
be of genuine help to those dealing with
discouragement. The example of Elijah
only scratches the surface of the Bible's
wisdom. But it should be noted that the
greatest help for discouragement (or,
for that matter, anything that creates a
hurting heart) is Jesus Christ. No one
loves us more, and no one is more ready
(or more able!) to offer real help and real
hope. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you
who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Jesus has
kept that promise to millions, and He will
keep that promise to you...if you come
to Him. If you haven't come to Jesus, or
would just like to learn more about Him,
please contact the individual or church
that shared this pamphlet with you. Rest
is within your reach.
ENDNOTES
- The events detailed in this paragraph are recorded
in 1 Kings 18.
