Overcoming Discouragement
Scripture Reading: Psalm 145:1-13
I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your Majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.
6 Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
7 They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.
10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all [f]generations.
In the devotional book Springs in the Valley, there is a story of a man who found a barn where Satan kept his seeds that he would sow in peoples’ hearts. There were all varieties of seeds, but the man noticed that seeds of discouragement were more abundant than any other type. The devil told him he had more of those because they would grow in almost any heart. When questioned further, the devil reluctantly admitted that there was one kind of heart in which he couldn’t get seeds of discouragement to grow.
“Where is that?” The man asked.
Satan replied, “In the heart of a grateful man.”
In the NKV version quoted above verse ten starts with “All you works shall praise You, O LORD.” The ESV translates it as, “All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD.” Both end the verse with the same English translation:
“And all Your saints shall bless you.”
This Psalm speaks about verbalizing praise and gratitude. Yes, it is felt in the heart, and that is a good thing. But I think it often loses its power in our lives because it never moves from the heart and out of the mouth.
Follow the Psalmist’s pattern here:
· Extol God
· Bless the Lord
· Declare His mighty acts
· Commend His works
· Speak of his awesome deeds
· Pour forth the fame of His abundant goodness
· Sing aloud of His righteousness
· Speak of His glorious power
· Make known His mighty deeds
Feel it but say it too. Make your heart the kind of heart that the seeds of discouragement find to be impenetrable ground for their fruit.
