What do you do when you find yourself discouraged and in desperate need of talking to someone, but no one was there? Your spouse didn’t answer the phone. Or your mom. Or your dad. Or your best friend.
When even God seems absent?
It’s at that time you will find yourself having THE most important conversation you’ll ever have.
David found himself in a desperate situation exactly like this. (I Samuel 30). He and his men came home from battle to find their camp had been burned and all their wives and children were taken captive.
What did they do? They cried. Those big, burly, strong warriors sat down and cried until they could cry no more.
Then those same men, David’s loyal and faithful army who risked their lives for him and vowed on solemn oath to follow him even to death, turned on him. They wanted to kill him.
David was just as grieved and distraught as they were. He could have given up and quit right there. “All my men are against me. God seems so far away. What’s the point? Someone else….anyone else….would make a better king than me. I’m out.” But he didn’t yield to discouragement. Instead, he chose to have the most important conversation he would ever have right then and there.
With himself.
But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God. (I Samuel 30:6)
There was no one left to give him a pep talk. Everyone he would normally turn to wanted to kill him. So David talked to himself, and I’m sure it sounded something like this:
Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God! (Psalm 43:5)Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:1-5)
The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you have with yourself.
Our friends may turn on us. Our families may not answer the phone. God may even seem distant and so very silent. We may feel like we are all alone.
But it’s in these moments in time we need to choose not to focus on what we feel. Or think. Or what is happening all around us. We must choose not to be discouraged by who’s with us or who’s betrayed us.
It’s at those times we need to look away from everything going on around us and open our mouths and let the Word of God fly out. That’s when we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord whether we feel like it or not.
Our feelings DO NOT get to dictate our conversation. Our heart does. And can I tell you, it’s when we feel like it the least that we need to do it the most.
So let’s practice what this looks like right now. Say this out loud:
I’ve had to do this more times than I care to count. Sometimes multiple times a day. But it works!
Dig into the Word. Find out what God has said about you and your situation and determine to speak only what He has said.
You can wallow in discouragement and despair and talk yourself into giving up. OR. You can talk yourself out of quitting. Talk yourself out of discouragement and depression. You can talk yourself into strength and trust and faith.
Have a conversation with yourself today. It will change everything.