- “SURELY...” David knew with certainty, the inevitable downward spiral if left to his own insufficient resources, “…I would have despaired…”, “…I would have despaired…”
“…UNLESS”-Like the hinge on a door that can be turned to fling wide open “SURELY…” David knew with certainty, the inevitable downward spiral if left to his own insufficient resources,”… I would have despaired…” “…UNLESS” like the hinge on a door that can be turned to fling wide open a door and stop it from being shut closed, there is this wonderful realization and rescuing and not stopping the inevitable ” despair,” but how to get out of the emotional sinking sand of despondency, namely ” I believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Note the order ”I BELIEVED to SEE..” Belief before sight. -{Read 2 Cor 5:7}. We often like Doubting Thomas want to ”See” before we ”Believe” it is the opposite in God’s economy! He “BELIEVED TO SEE” … The GOODNESS of the LORD… ” HIS FOCUS IS CHANGING AND FIXED..” On the LORD’S GOODNESS!
So, Where To Begin?
1.– THINK RIGHT ABOUT GOD-
So often our thinking about God is not right. When we come into the Christian life we are told to be transformed through the renewing of our minds.-{Read Rom 12:2}. Why? Because we don’t think right and we need to have our minds renewed to align up with the Truth about God from His Word which is Truth-{Read John 17:17}. And one truth about HiM is that HE IS GOOD- “You are good and You do good; Teach me Your statutes.”-{Psalm 119:68}; “Oh give thanks to the LORD FOR He Is GOOD!” -{Psalm 107:1}. His character is good and he thinks and Testifies about this aspect of His Character! So often when despair takes residence we need to pause and ask ourselves what are we THINKING consistently about. What are we Thinking about God? Does our Thinking line up with what God says about Himself, and who we are “In Christ?” We need to turn away from our wrong thinking about God to embracing, and submitting to Who He reveals Himself in His Word- The Truth!
Train your Mind to Think Right about God. Thinking on His Word, Hearing His Word, Reading His Word. Meditating upon His Word. The Holy Spirit can recall what you put in your mind and as you set the Word before you, he can strengthen your faith amidst the conflict to seek to control your thought life which influences how you feel and the choices you make!
2.- THINK BACK TO GOD–
“Surely I WILL SING to the LORD Because He has been GOOD to me.”- ( Ps 13:6) remembering How good He has been to Him is a springboard to praise Him as fuel for his present. Go back to remember – how God has been good to you! ” Surely GOODNESS and mercy shall follow ( Pursue) me all the days of my life.”-(Psalm 23:6). Again he looks back into his past assuredly, seeing there has been mercy for his sins and goodness for his steps and these two will as it were usher him all the way to deliver him to the. ” house of the LORD where I will dwell in the house of The Lord forever !” He goes back and remembers how Good God has been to him
If you find yourself in the place of the slough of despair there is hope for you! You need not stay there! His GOODNESS is key to get you out! Choose to change your THINKING. Think about Him … His goodness reflects His nature. ASK Him for assistance to help you remember SPECIFIC INSTANCES He has shown His goodness to you, so you may SING from a heart of gratitude! Think assuredly as He has been He is and will be… GOOD!
3.- TRUST GOD NOW –
That is the battle of faith. Living in the “NOW.” Looking away from all else to Jesus, our Present Tense LORD, His Word and walking with Him, reminding yourself of His Word, thinking, meditating on His Word, applying it. Choosing To Praise Him and Thank Him that He is in Control, His Grace is Sufficient and He will work all things including the present thing you are going through “for good” as He promises in Romans 8:28-29. As one friend once told me, “It may not feel good, look good, but He has promised to work all things together for good, to those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose.”-{Rom 8:28-29}. God uses trials to not only reveal our faith and strengthen our faith.-{Read 1 Peter 1:7; Rom 5:3-5; James 1:2-5}
4.- THINK OF OTHERS – DO GOOD –
So often when difficulties come we tend to turn inward rather than upward To God and Outward to lovingly serve others. Yet Scripture teaches even in the midst of suffering we are to continue to do good!”So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” -{Read 1 Peter 4:19}. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”-{Gal 6:10.}. “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”-{Luke 6:27:28.}. “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.”-{Hebrews 6:10}. “For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”-{Col 1:9-10}.
GOODNESS EVIDENT WITHIN, IS OUTWARDLY EXPRESSED TO OTHERS.
As a result, when we are under the control of the Holy Spirit one evidence is exhibiting and extending GOODNESS to OTHERS!-{Gal 5:22}. The Fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in an individual under His authority is “Goodness.” You can be part of helping someone out of DESPAIR today by speaking and doing Deeds of GOODNESS TO others. “Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”-{Hebrews 13:20-21}
The Psalmist amidst great difficulties as the Psalm teaches Chose based on His knowledge of the Charactrer of God- “believed to see” the goodness of the LORD, “… In the land of the living!” He is not waiting for Heaven, though it will be perfectly true there, but also in his lifetime in the here and now, he looks forward in FAITH to the LORD to exhibit His character to him! {Read Romans 8:28-29}
THINK – on the LORD’S Goodness
TRUST – “Believe to see…”
TRANSFORMED – From Stopping despair to Living by faith Focusing on the GOODNESS. Of the LORD in the land of the living!
THANK God there is hope for the psalmist and for you when tempted to Despair…
We can all have times when tempted to despair and it begins with a THOUGHT! BUT YOU NEED NOT YIELD, YOU NEED NOT GO DOWN THAT PATH THERE IS A GLORIOUS “UNLESS,” FOR YOU It is imperative to ARREST that thought, REPLACE it with THINKING ON HIM and in this case HIS GOODNESS. CHANGE YOUR FOCUS!
You NOW know HOW TO Stop the downward spiraling. And you can, out of His goodness help others HOW TO from despair to thinking right about The LORD and what to think of Thank God there is a blessed “UNLESS” for you today and to extend this truth to others, equipped to help them! Speak the truth to yourself and others!
TODAY MEMORIZE, MEDITATE, PRAY, APPLY, SHARE… this verse…WRITE Out the verse place where u can see it, perhaps on your bathroom mirror or carry it with you so you can see it and begin word by word, phrase by phrase, meditate upon and trust Him to transform your thinking and so the Holy Spirit can have TRUTH To bring to mind when tempted to YIELD to despair. KNOWING you have the POWER “In Christ,” not to head back into BONDAGE. It was for freedom Christ sets you free NEVER Again to be en yoked to a bondage of slavery -{Gal 5:1}.
FOR OTHER’S SAKE!
Hide this verse so the LORD can use you to aid and encourage others in their time of temptation to despair. Memorize it for …others sake!!
Recap;
- THINK RIGHT ABOUT GOD.
- THINK BACK ABOUT GOD’S GOODNESS
- TRUST GOD PRESENTLY
- THINK OF OTHERS- DO GOOD TO OTHERS!
Equip yourself to help Others…
“Surely I would have despaired unless I believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the Living.”- ( Ps 27:13}
God Bless,
Aidan.