I am laid low in the dust;
preserve my life according to your word.
I gave an account of my ways and you answered me;
teach me your decrees.
Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me and teach me your law.
I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set my heart on your laws.
I hold fast to your statutes, LORD;
do not let me be put to shame.
I run in the path of your commands,
for you have broadened my understanding. Psalm 119:25-32 (NIV)
We have all felt discouraged. The Psalmist in 119-Daleth is discouraged as well. Whether we are trying to reach a goal, like losing weight, or studying God’s word, or praying more. When we falter, we can become discouraged. We also get discouraged when others ridicule us for our beliefs and don’t understand why we believe what we do. Even worst, is when we are ridiculed by other Believers because they don’t believe that God has spoken to us and given us a mission that is beyond their experience. Maybe, life has not been kind and everything has gone wrong. You just have to throw your hands up in the air and say, “when it rains, it pours.” Sometimes it feels like the whole world is against us. If you have or are feeling this way, you are not alone.
The Psalmist who wrote this section of Psalm 119 was also discouraged. It seems that possibly he was being looked down on by others. Maybe they were trying to make him ashamed for believing in God. We don’t really know, but he was definitely distressed. However, he declares to God, “I have dug my heels in and will continue to follow You and Your ways, no matter how bad circumstances get.”
God Lifts Us Up
When we are feeling discouraged, we need to remember the promises of God. This is what the Psalmist was talking about when he asks God to strengthen me according to Your word. We need only take to heart that God is the only one who loves us unconditionally and wants to honestly be with us and help us all of our days.
The daleth, the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is a reminder that it is only God who can truly lift us up. The design of the daleth represents three aspects of our spiritual life: a poor man, a door, and being lifted up. First, it represents the poor man. The horizontal line on top to the right of the vertical line is like an ear because a poor man always has to listen to the person who gives. That is, a poor person needs to rely on other’s generosity. The daleth also looks somewhat like a door with the horizontal line being the lentil of a door, and the vertical line being the doorpost. The poor man also needs to knock on doors for help.
Taking these two representations into the spiritual realm, the daleth signifies being lifted up. Every person needs to realize he/she is poor, because without God, we have nothing. Only when we knock on the door in submission, which is the way to God, can He then lift us up by developing our potential in His plan for our lives (Raskin, 2003).
One of the best ways to open this door to God is by reading scripture. God’s holy words will inspire and direct us in all that we encounter. Below are only a few of His words to help lift us up when we are discouraged:
Moses told Joshua before he (Joshua) led the Israelites into the Promised Land, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10
Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:31
If God is for us, who is against us? Romans 8:31b
…Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. I Peter 5:6 & 7
Praising God When Discouraged
The very difficult thing about feeling despondent is being able to praise God in the midst of it. However, the closer we become to God through reading His word and meditating on it, the more God gives us His understanding of what is going on in our lives. Beyond that, He will give us peace and joy in the middle of discouragement. God is our biggest cheerleader, our best teacher and most loyal friend. Jesus was often discouraged at the lack of understanding in His disciples concerning spiritual matters. However, He never gave up on them. Jesus encouraged them and gave them focus and power in their lives.
The more we set our minds, hearts and paths on God’s ways, the more we will be able to praise God during the down times in our lives. In fact, we will be able to watch God rise us above our desperate situations and turn the situations into good because we love Him and promise to faithfully follow His will for our lives. Indeed, the more we choose to praise God in all things, the less discouraged we will become.
Like the Psalmist, promise God to follow His purpose for your life and continue to give Him praise. Below are several verses to help you give praise in the middle of discouragement. Pray God’s words back to Him and He will honor you with a peace beyond the world’s understanding.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. I Peter 4:12-14
I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them. Psalm 34:1-7
Even if the fig tree does not blossom,
And there is no fruit on the vines,
If the yield of the olive fails,
And the fields produce no food,
Even if the flock disappears from the fold,
And there are no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will triumph in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like deer’s feet,
And has me walk on my high places. Habbakuk 3:17-18
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. I Peter 2:9
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:16-18
Resources:
Raskin, A. 2003: Letters of Light. Sichos Publishers.
Photo Credit: https://bishopdarlingstonjohnson.org/2017/05/24/discouraged/
Photo Credit: https://www.cartoonhebrew.com/dalet
