Courage for the Discouraged
by Charles R. Swindoll
I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of
destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
—Psalm 40:1–2
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of
destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
—Psalm 40:1–2
Lord, we pray that You would bring relief when we are swamped
with the ever-rising tide of discouragement. Grant deliverance for us who are
caught in that swamp and start to slide into its slimy waters. Encourage our
hearts as we face those depressing, dark moments that leave us feeling hopeless
and believing the lie that things will never change. Father, give us hope
beyond the heartbreaks we experience. We cling to the inspired words of the
apostle Peter that if we humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God, You
will lift us up. You will exalt us at the proper time.
Discouragement keeps us humble, we confess, for we are never discouraged and
bigheaded at the same time.
In humbleness, Father, we call upon You as Your children. We ask
You to lift our spirits by transforming our minds. Strengthen us to see the
value of dwelling on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of
good report. Help us to fix our minds on heavenly things rather than on those
earthly things that drag us down.
Give us a rallying point around Your grace, dear Lord. We need
that point of focus, our times being as they are . . . and our moods so
given to change. Thank You that Christ loves us and keeps on loving us. Thank
You that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Thank You that the
grace that saved us keeps us saved . . . regardless of our
doubts and other weird feelings.
We also pray for those weary souls who have never met Your Son
as Savior. How do they ever make it through the day? We ask that their burden
of discouragement would be lifted by the realization that Jesus's death on the
cross paid the complete price for their sins. Help them see past their pain to
the reality that there is nothing they need to do or promise or change or give
up or become . . . in order to be accepted by You. Help them to
trust in Your Son. May they do so today.
Now to Him who is able to guard us from stumbling and to cause
us to stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only
God our Savior . . . be glory, majesty, dominion, and
authority . . . now and forever.
In His great name we pray. Amen.
See also Psalm
69:1–4; Daniel 4:36–37; Acts 16:31; Romans 5:8; 12:2; Philippians
4:8; Colossians 3:1–4; 1 Peter 5:6; Jude
1:24–25
Excerpted from The Prayers of Charles R. Swindoll, Volume 1,
Copyright © 2010 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
Sid Stewart
Executive Director
864 226-6193
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