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his life to be happy. The doctor told him that the best entertainment was a clown on a famous circus named Grimaldi. He said, You must go and see him, Grimaldi is the worlds funniest clown. Hell make you laugh and cure your sadness. The despairing man shook his head, No, he cant help me. You see, I am Grimaldi! The cure for discouragement is not found in entertainment, wealth, better health, or increased selfesteem. That is why the health and wealth false gospel of much of Christianity today is so empty. The cure for discouragement is getting your focus on what God has done, what God is doing, and what God has promised to do for you in the future. This is especially seen in reading and meditating on the Word of God. When Joshua faced the fearsome prospect of leading Israel after the death of Moses, the Lord encouraged the young leader. What God pointed Joshua to focus upon, was God and His Word. He first directed Joshua to focus unto God, There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (Joshua 1:5). The power was not in Moses but in God, so if Joshua had the God of Moses, that was all that he needed. Joshua was also instructed to live with his life saturated in obedience to Gods Word, Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:7-8). David found the Cure In 1 Samuel 30 we see an incident of deep discouragement in the life of king David. We are told, And David was greatly distressed. (1 Samuel 30:6). David, doubtless, was humiliated, tired, emotionally and spiritually downcast as he headed home after being expelled by the Philistine leaders. But when he arrived home he discovered his home at Ziklag was burned to the ground and his family snatched by the Amalekites. Humanly speaking he had lost everything with no hope of recovery. David could only but imagine the sufferings of his wives and children at the hand of the cruel Amalekites. To multiply the distress of Davids soul, mutiny broke out amongst his men for going to assist the Lords enemies. This was a low point in Davids life. His whole world had fallen apart. This was the last straw! To make his despair greater, he could now see that it was the consequence of being out of the will of God in running to the Philistines for help. Now, everyone had rejected him Saul, Israel, Judah, Achish, and now his own men. At a point like this, David recognised his failure in drifting from Gods will and looked to God, but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God (1 Samuel 30:6). This is another of the many great buts in the Bible. Amid the ruins of his life, David had learned to stand alone, dependent only on God. The thieves could take the goods of David but they could never take away the God of David! Alexander Maclaren points out, Whatever else we lose, as long as we have Him we are rich; and whatever else we possess, we are poor as long as we have not Him. God is enough; whatever else may go. No doubt, David encouraged himself by reminding himself of who God was, what God had promised, what God had done for him, and what God could do for him. This is not positive thinking or increasing your self-esteem. It is a truly victorious sight observing David rejoicing in the faithfulness of his God. He did not hit back at his critics but simply leaned upon the Lord. The clouds will part and the sunshine of Gods love will come flowing through. Conclusion
It is easy to fall into the Slough of Despond like weary pilgrim in Pilgrims Progress. However, if we focus on God and His Word this will take us through every time when discouragement sets in. The Scottish preacher Andrew Bonar noted in his diary entry for October 15, 1864 that he had been meditating on Nahum 1:7, The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him. That very same day his beloved wife, Isabella passed away. With reference to the Scripture he had noted, and wrote Little did I think how I would need it half an hour after. Lucy Milward Booth (1868-1953) was the daughter of William and Catherine Booth, who founded the Salvation Army. In 1885 at just 17 years of age she penned this beautiful hymn of encouragement:
When you feel weakest, dangers surround, Subtle temptations, troubles abound, Nothing seems hopeful, nothing seems glad. All is despairing; oftentimes sad. Keep on believing, Jesus is near. Keep on believing, theres nothing to fear; Keep on believing, this is the way: Faith in the night, as well as the day.