The Cloud Of Discouragement

May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to love in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.

Romans 15:5 RSV

The root of discouragement is unbelief. Consider what discourages you. You are not making enough money (you are not convinced that God can and will supply all of your needs); you are frustrated in your job (you have refused to believe that you can be content in whatever state you are in); you are worried about health problems (Is not God the great physician? Did He not make your body and know how every cell functions? Can He not heal you when and if He wishes?).

Discouragement is a large cloud that, like all clouds, obscures the warmth and joy of the sun. In the case of spiritual discouragement, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus, is eclipsed in our lives. Discouragement blinds our eyes to the mercy of God and makes us perceive only the unfavorable circumstances.

There is only one way to dispel discouragement, and it is not in our own strength or ingenuity. The Bible says, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).

I have never met a person who spent time daily in prayer and in the study of God’s Word and who was strong in the faith who was ever discouraged for very long. You cannot be discouraged if you are close to the One who gives us hope.

“Be of good cheer,” Jesus tells us. “I have overcome the world.”

Our Father and our God, You are my strength and my courage. Help me, Lord, to be strong in the faith and close to You. I praise Your mighty name, and I glory in the cross of Jesus Christ, through whom I have salvation and hope. Amen.

Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).