George, David, and Us

You sent for me, sir?

Yes, Clarence. A man down on Earth needs our help.

Splendid. Is he sick?

No, worse. He's' discouraged.

If you are familiar with the movie It's a Wonderful Life, then you probably recognize this exchange. It is between two angels preparing to help George Bailey, a man who has experienced several crushing disappointments in his life. Until this point, he has refocused and pressed forward, but this time is different. To George, it seems that he is being consumed by a situation that he cannot escape. But that's not all. Those other disappointments have come roaring back to his mind, and they are weighing him down, taking away his will to fight.

Discouragement is a powerful emotion. It can be a truly dark place to sit. Discouragement can become a lens – foggy and foul – through which everything is viewed. Even good things can lose their meaning when viewed through discouragement.

Have you ever been really, really down and had someone come bouncing into your presence and tell you to cheer up? I have. And I have wanted to respond in an unpleasant way. Why is that? It isn't because I don't want to cheer up. We would all love for the hurt to go away, for the problem to be fixed. I think I respond that way because I can't cheer up. I know that things are out of my control. Maybe what I'm going through has cut me so deeply that a Band-Aid smile will not help. It may just make things worse, causing infection, or at the least a mess.

Am I saying that we need to wallow in our discouragement? Not at all. But we need to recognize it. I agree with the fictional angel that discouragement can be more harmful than sickness. It stops us. It can change our focus, affect our minds, and prevent us from making any progress. We don't need to stay there. We need to acknowledge it and move forward, even if slowly, out of it.

The Bible's David faced a lot of discouragement. His family looked down on him, his king was jealous of him, and people tried to kill him. (A lot of people, and more than once.) On one of these occasions, he came under attack from his own people. While David and his men were out on a military exercise, their city was plundered, and all their wives and children were taken into captivity. David's friends blamed him, and their hot anger was directed toward him.

And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 ESV 

King David strengthened himself in the Lord. The King James Version says that he "encouraged himself in the Lord." How did he do this? He talked to God. David went to Him in prayer and asked what he should do. God answered him, blessed him, and David and his men were able to rescue their people, retake their belongings, and even come away with extra livestock. 

But this was not the only time that the Word records for us how David handled discouragement. He often talked with God about how discouraged he was, telling God that he felt far away from him. He felt attacked. He felt wronged. Psalm 13 is just one short example where we can read David's thoughts.

Psalm 13

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

    How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I take counsel in my soul

    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

4 lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him,"

    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Have you ever asked the Lord how long you will have to go through something? We probably all have. David did. And he asked God to answer him. We should recognize here that David had a good relationship with God, which built the foundation for this conversation. David ends the psalm by telling God that he trusts Him to save him from his troubles. That, too, is a response built on a good relationship with the Lord. 

Whatever you have discouraging you, address it. Do you need to explore the cause of the pain? Maybe, like George Bailey, you need a new perspective. And maybe, like David, you need to spend time with God. If you don't know where to start, jump into Psalms and read some of David's words. I think those words were recorded because God knew that you -- and I -- would need His help.