had evidently been making mock ery of him. The more he thought about what they were saying the more remote the Lord seemed to become. Could it be that these un believers around him were right? What a place to be in where one starts to believe his enemies! The best antidote to today's frustrations is to consider past blessings and experiences of wor ship with the Lord. He starts to re member the faithfulness of Cod (vs. 4). In Exodus 23 we are told that every year the Israelites were to attend three feasts as they wor shipped the Lord. The Psalmist re calls the times when he used to do that very thing by participating in those religious festivals. His recollection caused him to pour out his soul upon himself. He is brought to the realization that the Cod in whose service he had found such delight could not really have forsaken him. The solution follows quickly (vs. 5). Have you a need for an answer? Here it is, "Hope thou in Cod: for I shall yet praise Him for the hope of His countenance." His faith re buked his despondency. His con fidence triumphed over despair. This may sound like a very over simplified solution, but I believe that what the Psalmist tells us is the positive help we need. He says that when he is discouraged he will remember the Lord (vs. 6). It calls for a contemplation of Cod, being aware of His presence, com muning with Him in worship, med itating upon Him in fellowship. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee" (Isaiah 26:3). What is your mind fixed upon? The pathway to peace and encouragement is to make sure our lives are oriented
and focalized on the Lord. When will we learn to turn our thoughts away from ourselves, for "If Cod be for us, who can be against us?" Caleb, one of Israel's twelve spies, gives an interesting lesson on how to face discouragement. When the men had come back from viewing the promised land ten of them were extremely nega tive (Numbers 13). There was no question about the value of the real estate; it was just the fact that there were too many enemies to face. The group was silenced when faithful and determined Caleb ad monished them with the optimis tic challenge, "Let us go up at once, and possess it: for we are well able to overcome it" (vs. 30). The majority report was 86 words while his was an urgent 17. All the spies saw the same thing. Yet, some were encouraged while oth ers were discouraged. The answer is given in the next chapter. In Numbers 14:8 Caleb calmly and confidently said to the Israelites, "If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us; a land which flow- eth with milk and honey." The next verse affirms, "The Lord is with us; fear them not." Ten spies had their eyes on cir cumstances rather than on the Lord. We all face giants of one kind or another in our lives. How do you react to your difficult experiences? Are you looking at them or at the Lord? A pessimist sees a calamity in every opportun ity, while an optimist sees an op portunity in every calamity. Some one has said, "A pessimist is one who feels bad when he feels good, for fear he will feel worse when he feels better." You will find it is true that when you look at circum- Page 11
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