Day 27 – Satan’s Discouragement
Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Does the child of God have a right to be discouraged? It’s a good question. There are times that we allow ourselves a brief moment to sit in our pity party pool of tears. But normally, we snap out of it and move on. However, there are some good Christians out there who stay in their little pool a little too long. This is a dangerous place to be, Christian.
The Psalmist says that the Lord hears our cries and brings us out of our horrible pit and out of the miry clay. One cannot “hear” unless there’s something TO hear, amen? There must be an action of crying out first. Therefore, this is conditional upon the child of God crying out to Him first. He then places us on a rock and establishes our goings. Furthermore, the Lord puts a new song in our mouth – rather than complaining of our discouragement, we have a new song of praise to Him. This is a testimony to the lost and a testimony to the weaker Christian. Notice that the byproduct of discouragement is fear and the byproduct of praise is trust in the Lord.
Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
One thing we can definitely count on is that God already knows the outcome of our situation. He walks right there alongside us! And the best part is that He has promised that He will NOT fail us nor will He forsake us. Also notice that we are then exhorted that we shouldn’t fear nor be discouraged! How can one fear or be discouraged if he truly believes that God WILL NOT fail him or forsake him?
Here’s a wonderful little fable called, “Satan’s Discouragement.” It goes with today’s devotional so well and I hope it helps you to see that discouragement serves no purpose but to bring glory to the devil. The total opposite, encouragement, brings glory to the Lord Almighty!
Satan’s Discouragement
There’s an old fable that says the Devil once held a sale and offered all the tools of his trade to anyone who would pay the price. The tools were spread out on the table and each one was labeled: hatred, malice, envy, despair, sickness, sensuality – all the weapons that everyone knows so well.
Off to one side lay a harmless-looking, wood-shaped instrument marked “discouragement.” It was old and worn looking but it was priced far above the rest.
When asked the reason why, the Devil replied, “Because I can use this one so much more easily than the others. No one knows that it belongs to me, so with it I can open doors that are tightly bolted shut. Once I get inside I can use any tool that suits me best.”
Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
I stand amazed at how many traditional hymns are based on God’s word! Isn’t this one below just so appropriate for today’s devotional? I hope you have been encouraged today, dear Christian!
Burdens Are Lifted at Calvary
Days are filled with sorrow and care,
Hearts are lonely and drear.
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Calvary, Calvary;
Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Jesus is very near.
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