Sunday, July 13, 1997 In Your Absence:
In this week's lesson, which came from Psalms 42:1-4, 6-7 and Psalms 43:3-5, we learned about some ways to deal with feelings of discouragement, despair, and of being alone. These emotions are usually felt by everyone at one time or another, but for some people, they are felt much too often. How can we deal with such negative feelings? In our lesson this week, we learned that they are at least four ways. First, we can turn to the Lord for encouragement. The Psalmist, in writing these two Psalms, was feeling separated from God. Perhaps, his sense of separation had been caused by sin. Perhaps, it had been caused by indifference. Certainly, all of us are prone from time to time to take for granted the things of God. Another possibility is that he was being tested and prepared for some kind of future service. But regardless of why he felt the way he did, the important thing is that he did and that he wanted to rectify the situation. So, he turned to the Lord. An important conclusion of this lesson is that our Lord is always ready to receive us back into His fellowship when we turn to Him.
The second way that we can deal with our feelings of discouragement, despair, and of being alone is to remember what God has done for us in the past. The Psalmist was motivated because of some of his past worship. He knew that he had been in touch with the Lord before, and he knew that he could be again. What a wonderful conclusion for him to reach. What a wonderful conclusion it is for each of us to reach when we realize that the Lord will always meet the needs of our heart. The third thing that the discouraged person can do is be honest with God. Many times, we try to hide our true feelings and put up some kind of strong "religious" front, but we do not need to be that way with the Lord. God loves you. Jesus died for you. You are loved, and you are important! You can approach the Lord with confidence and know that He will never turn away. He wants you to come to Him probably more than you even want to come.
The fourth and final thing that you can do to drive away those negative feelings of discouragement, despair, and of feeling alone is to trust the Lord. Of course, this is probably tough to do when times are tough, but as we learn to do, those times will not seem nearly so tough. Turning to the Lord and expressing your hurt to Him can be a big part of the healing process. Giving your problems to Him and trusting Him to deal with them can be another big part. Always remember that the Lord loves you. His desire is to release you from your emotional and even physical burdens so that you can minister to others for Him. Therefore, as you go through this week, hold your head high, remember God's love for you, and then tell someone else how much they are loved.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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