The Biblical approach to overcoming discouragement
Today we’re talking about ways of overcoming discouragement, but before we get started, I wanted to share what a listener recently had to say about the podcast:
Hi James, Just dropping a line to let you know how much I appreciate your podcast. My girlfriend and I have recently come back to a Christian church which we just love. We are getting our lives right with God. We also got baptized Aug 31st and we’re ALL IN for Christ. We are both hungry for more spiritual information and your podcast is a big contributor in helping us continue to grow in our faith. Thanks so much and all the best to you and yours!! Ron, Saint Louis, Missouri
Now, let’s get into today’s episode.
Are you struggling with discouragement?
Lately, I’ve been talking to lots of folks who are really struggling with discouragement because of what’s going on in their lives right now. Sometimes it’s something in their personal lives. Sometimes it’s something at church or work.
Others have shared their frustrations with what’s going on in their local, state, and national governments. And not just in the United States. And almost everyone I’ve talked to is concerned about and discouraged about how a wide range of global issues are being dealt with, or not being dealt with.
Let’s face it, there’s a lot of negative and harmful stuff going on in the world right now, and it can be discouraging when it seems like things are going backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, all the time. In last week’s episode, #277, How to Overcome Evil with Good, I talked about some of the ways to face and pray about the evil influences in today’s world.
But today, I want to specifically address the discouragement that comes when it seems there’s no progress or that the progress that has been made is reversed.
Discouragement or hope?
And by the way, something that discourages you might be just what someone else thinks is wonderful.
For example, what one person might think is progress, someone else might think of as going backward. And vice versa. This can happen in politics, at church, at work, in education policy, economic policy. All the way down to how household chores are divided between siblings.
As I said, a lot of people are discouraged. Very discouraged. A minute ago, I mentioned a few reasons we get discouraged, but all of those are things others have done or not done.
Sometimes we get discouraged by what we have done, our own sins and mistakes, or the things we should have done but didn’t.
Discouragement in the Bible
In praying about the things that been discouraging to me lately, I’ve pondered what the Bible says about overcoming discouragement. The good news is: the bible says a lot.
The first person who comes to mind in the Bible who had to overcome discouragement was the prophet Elijah. He had just witnessed an amazing display of God’s power when fire came down from heaven and consumed a burnt offering, the altar it was on, a trench full of water, and 12 large stones. It was to show the children of Israel that God was the one true God.
You can read this part of Elijah’s story starting in 1 Kings 18:16.
The people in general were pretty impressed and to some degree at least, acknowledged God as God. But King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, wasn’t happy at all. She sent a message to Elijah threatening to kill him by the next day if he was still in the area.
Has your life ever been threatened?
What would you do in that kind of a situation? Have you ever had your life, or maybe your livelihood threatened? Well, you probably know this story,
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 1 Kings 19:3, 4 NIV
Talk about discouragement. Elijah felt like a total failure. Now that doesn’t mean he was a failure, but he felt like one, at least at that moment. When he says he is no better than his ancestors it shows how discouragement had blinded him. None of his ancestors had called down fire from heaven the way he did.
Okay, so he didn’t part the Red Sea or make the walls of Jericho fall down. But Moses and Joshua didn’t do what Elijah did either.
Discouragement blinds you to the solution at hand
When you’re discouraged, when there’s a setback, and you feel you and your life work are threatened, it’s easy not to see everything clearly. You just want to get away from everything.
That’s exactly what Elijah did. He ran off. He ran away.
There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 1 Kings 19:9, 10 NIV
Elijah felt he was the only one left who was faithful to God. That is discouraging. Have you ever felt alone, or maybe with just a few others, in your struggle to do the right thing? I know of several churches with dwindling memberships and they are feeling very discouraged. They’re doing everything they can think of but nothing is changing.
At this point God reveals Himself to Elijah in a still small voice, or as the NIV calls it, a “gentle whisper.”
God and Elijah: Round 2
Then God asks Elijah again,
“What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 1 Kings 19:13, 14 NIV
Elijah was just repeating the same thing over and over. And then God intervenes and gives Elijah a whole list of places to go and things to do. And he reveals to Elijah:
Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him. 1 Kings 19:18 NIV
Have you ever been discouraged because you felt completely alone? I certainly have. But God knew things Elijah did not. There were 7,000 people who were still faithful to God.
And one of the things God told Elijah to do was anoint Elisha as a prophet to continue his work.
Overcoming discouragement like Elijah
All of a sudden, from feeling completely alone, threatened by his government, and feeling like a failure and no place to go, Elijah knew there were thousands of people faithful to God and there would be someone to continue his work.
If that’s not a cure for discouragement, I don’t know what is. And there are some hints here for you and me.
When you feel discouraged, sometimes you just need to get away from whatever the situation is. Your life may not literally be in danger as in Elijah’s case, but a change of scene can be really healthy. I’m not saying you should go hang out in a cave, but I have found it really helpful to be someplace completely different to sort things through and have to some quiet time alone with God.
Another thing to learn from this story is to be honest with God about how you’re feeling. You can tell God, like Elijah did, “I’ve had enough. I quit. I can’t do this (whatever ‘this’ is), anymore.”
I was sure I had let God down
About 15 years ago or more, God started telling me to preach the gospel to all the world. At first, I was flattered and thought I was uniquely qualified for the job. But that illusion was quickly dashed when I came face to face with my own shortcomings, and the sins of my heart like pride, and self-righteousness, to name just a couple. I told God, “You better find somebody else for the job.” I just didn’t feel ready or qualified.
At one point I was in tears because I felt I had let God down and hadn’t done all He had wanted me to do. But at that moment, God said, James, you’re right where I want you. For more of this story check out Episode 43:You Can Trust God’s Perfect Timing for the Events in Your Life.
And a related blog post (from when I just did a blog) called God Prepares Your Heart on His Timetable.
God was working in my life all the time
God has been patient with me over many years and has prepared my heart to step up to the task. It was about that same time I started doing weekly Bible study at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. And from that, a desire for a larger audience brought me to begin this podcast in 2019, which has now had listeners in 193 countries as of January 2025.
I had given up the idea of “preaching the gospel to the whole world,” and was very discouraged because I just didn’t feel qualified. But God prepared me, one step at a time, for what He had prepared for me.
When you feel discouraged, for whatever reason, whether it’s because of something others did or didn’t do, or because of something you did or didn’t do, ask God to show you just the one next baby step to take, the one action you can take to go forward. Don’t try to figure it out by yourself. Wait for God’s direction.
Overcoming discouragement when you feel hopeless
Sometimes we feel discouraged because it seems God doesn’t care about our situation or that He has abandoned us.
Hannah may have certainly felt this way. She desperately wanted a child, but she was not able to bear children.
She would often cry uncontrollably and not eat anything because she felt so incomplete. And she prayed earnestly.
In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. 1 Samuel 1:10 NIV
She was being honest with how she felt, and that’s okay.
Eli, the priest, saw her and thought she was drunk because of the way she was acting. But once he understood the situation a little better, even though he didn’t know why she was so upset he said,
Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” 1 Samuel 1:17 NIV
Her prayers were answered and she gave birth to Samuel, who became a mighty prophet of the Lord.
Overcoming discouragement like Hannah
What can we learn from Hannah about overcoming discouragement? First of all, she had an honest, deep-down desire to have a child. What is your honest, earnest deep-down desire in your heart.
Sometimes we think prayer is always supposed to be some lofty, spiritually inspired and eloquent dialogue with God. Hannah may have had prayers like that at one point, but the prayers that are recorded in 1 Samuel are prayers of discouragement, prayers of desperation.
If that’s where you are, that’s okay. You can pray however you need to. There’s no one right way to pray. It’s not the words and the tone of voice or the emotions or lack of emotions that make a prayer effective. It’s the motive behind it.
If someone you know is feeling like Hannah did, don’t be judgmental of their emotional state of desperation and discouragement. Be like Eli and comfort them. And if you find yourself in Hannah’s state of mind, when someone tries to comfort you, accept their loving words and gestures, even if they don’t say exactly the thing.
Overcoming discouragement when you’re making progress
One of the odd things about discouragement is that sometimes it comes right when you have made a lot of progress. The temptations come to doubt the good you’ve done, to dismiss its significance, and to think it was all a waste of time.
This is a little bit what Elijah was experiencing. He had just taken a bold stand for the worship of the one true God. The resistance he felt from those who opposed his actions made him doubt his ability to go forward. But God kept talking to him and telling him what to do until Elijah was back on board and going forward with the next thing God wanted him to do.
And this reminds me of when Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness. They had recently crossed the Red Sea and been saved from the Egyptian soldiers who were chasing them. They had seen all that. But they were out of food.
Just imagine you were one of more than a million people out in the wilderness without anything to eat. It was a pretty desperate situation and people were beyond discouraged with their prospects of surviving.
They had just been handed freedom and they wanted to go back to slavery.
The Israelites said to them [Moses and Aaron], “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Exodus 16:3 NIV
The solution was there right when they needed it
They saw no hope, no possible solution. And they were right. There was no human solution. And this is true for whatever situation you’re in, big or small. And that’s cause for discouragement. There is no human solution.
But at the very moment the Children of Israel were discouraged and complaining there was nothing to eat, God told Moses,
Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.” Exodus 16:4 NIV
Now, there’s a lot more to that story, but the point is, God’s solution was right at hand at the very moment of the people’s greatest despair and discouragement. They were in the middle of God leading them to freedom and giving them everything they needed. They just didn’t see it yet.
Right this moment, you may feel overwhelmed with discouragement, dismay, and despair over what’s going on in your life, at work, at church,, in your country, or the world. You may be at the height of hopelessness. But also, right in this moment, God is present, His hand full of hope, comfort, and resources, just as He was with the Children of Israel in the wilderness.
No human solutions
Quit looking for solutions other than God. And don’t think you’ll find a solution going back to the slavery of the past, the way the Israelites imagined.
I know, there are some pretty wild and crazy things going on right now in the world and maybe in your personal life as well. I encourage you to keep trusting God. Ask God to help you. Cry out in desperation like Elijah and Hannah did if you need to. That’s okay.
One of the main things I focus on here at The Bible Speaks to You Podcast is to look at things from Jesus’s perspective, to think, pray, and love like he did.
Jesus overcoming discouragement
So let’s ask the question: How did Jesus deal with discouragement?
Now you may be thinking: Hey wait a minute James. Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. Why would he ever get discouraged? He knew God was always in control. How could he possibly ever get discouraged?
Well, that’s exactly the way I used to think. But the more I dig into everything Jesus said and did, I’ve realized there were times when Jesus was humanly discouraged.
On many occasions his disciples just didn’t understand what he was trying to teach them. He said more than once, the sort of thing he said to his disciples when they hadn’t healed the epileptic boy,
“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” Mark 9:19 NIV
And then of course, he healed him.
And when he had been healing in several cities and they didn’t believe in him or repent, he cried out:
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. Matthew 11:21, 23 NIV
Discouragement didn’t stop Jesus
But any frustration or discouragement Jesus felt in these situations did not stop him from going forward with his ministry of preaching and healing.
Perhaps the biggest moment of discouragement for Jesus came when he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before his arrest and subsequent crucifixion.
He had asked his disciples to pray, but each time he came to check on them, they had fallen asleep. He turned to the one disciple who had pledged unswerving loyalty to him and said,
“Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour?” Mark 14:37 NIV
You can almost hear the disappointment in his voice. On the surface, this was a very discouraging moment for Jesus, when he needed all the support of his disciples.
But from another perspective, Jesus quickly realized he could not depend on anyone but his heavenly Father to bring him through the ordeal he was about to face.
When you feel discouraged
When you feel like you’re in a Garden-of-Gethsemane moment, whether it’s on a personal or a global scale, the only solution, the only complete and lasting solution, will come from God, from total surrender to and dependence on God.
I always find hope in this verse from Psalms:
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5 NIV
This is actually one of the keys to getting out of discouragement: to praise God, to acknowledge Him, to thank Him, to honor Him as God.
Overcoming discouragement by singing
One of the best ways to praise God is to sing.
Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. Psalm 18:49 NIV
Whenever you’re discouraged or disheartened, or full of despair, sing some of your favorite hymns. Sing loud. Sing soft. Sing by yourself. Invite others to sing with you. Even if you’re alone in your room, you can sing praises to God among the nations. Sing as if everyone in the whole world is listening. Sing to each heart.
I love the promise God made to Joshua when he became leader of the Children of Israel. Listen to what God said to Joshua and think about how this applies to you.
“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:5-9 NIV
God is overcoming discouragement for you right now
Whatever situation you’re in, whatever is happening in your life or the world, God is with you. He will not forsake you. It may feel like you are far away from God and you don’t see what God doing at that very moment to propel you forward. But God is at work.
When you feel discouraged, be honest about how you feel. Don’t pretend to be so holy and spiritually minded that you’re not bothered when you are. Even Jesus expressed his discouragement, but he moved quickly from it to complete trust in God each time.
At those moments of discouragement, look for something positive to do, even something simple. The opposite of discouragement is encouragement. Find ways to encourage others. And be willing to accept encouragement from others.
And above all, fill your heart with gratitude for all God had already done in your life and the life of others.
Photo Credit: Robert Collins
_____________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
Make a donation to support the show
_____________
Bible References
1 Kings 19:3, 4 NIV
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
1 Kings 19:9, 10 NIV
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
1 Kings 19:13, 14 NIV
13 “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
1 Kings 19:18 NIV
18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.
1 Samuel 1:10 NIV
10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly.
1 Samuel 1:17 NIV
17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
Exodus 16:3 NIV
3 The Israelites said to them [Moses and Aaron], “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
Exodus 16:4 NIV
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.”
Mark 9:19 NIV
19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
Matthew 11:21, 23 NIV
21 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.
Mark 14:37 NIV
37 “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour?”
Psalm 42:5 NIV
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 18:49 NIV
49 Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.
Joshua 1:5-9 NIV
5 “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”