Why Have I Been Discouraged?

Why have I been discouraged? Discouragement and moments of weakness come to all of us. That’s not the problem. The problem is when discouragement is part of your life, and the lack of strength becomes your normal state. You are usually feeling weak and discouraged. You have moments of encouragement, but your normal state is of discouragement. What could be behind this?

“For innumerable evils have surrounded me” (Psalm 40:12).

The psalmist, King David, knew well what it was like to be surrounded by evil and more evil. For many years, he was persecuted and hunted. He lived in hiding in caves. Those words were from someone who knew what it was like to be surrounded by enemies. Problems may cover you, and there is no doubt that discouragement hits when we are like this.

But something else can also happen: a giant can be born. We can grow through these problems. You know that when a person faces a threatening situation, they discover a strength they didn’t know they had. If the person had not thought, he would not have jumped a high wall, but by seeking survival, they discovered a capacity they did not know they had. You can awaken this giant inside you and overcome all these evils, as David did countless times.

“[…] My iniquities have overtaken me so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me” (Psalm 40:12).

Please Pay Attention:

David was discouraged not because of his enemies but because of the iniquities that trapped him, so he could not look up. The discouragement, which many face daily (the person can’t even take a shower or get out of bed), is because, perhaps, they are carrying guilt. You don’t forgive yourself; this is in your head every day. And you stay in this state of death in life.

So, what’s the way out? How did King David get rid of it? You find the answer in Psalm 51, when he opened his heart, humbled himself, confessed his sin, asked for forgiveness, recognized that he made a mistake, and threw himself at God’s feet, asking for mercy. He believed not because he deserved forgiveness but because no one deserves forgiveness. And at that moment, God forgave him, taking away the burden and guilt. With his head held high, the one who could not look up now went to thank God and recovered what he had lost.

That’s also what God wants to do for you. Suppose you are so bad that you can’t look up. In that case, you can’t say a prayer. Initially, look down and ask for forgiveness, repent of what you have done, and believe in the promise, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us” (1 John 1:9). Make that promise come true in your life.

Once this weight of your guilt is taken off your shoulders, you will see that the guilt will leave you, and the strength will return.