HOW TO STAY ENCOURAGED
Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
This is such a great psalm. This psalm is David's declaration of faith. Starting with verse one, David proclaims that the Lord is his light and salvation and the strength of his life. Because that is who He is to David, he is not afraid. Throughout this psalm, there are wonderful expressions of David's heart for God, his trust in God, and who God is to him.
At the very end of this very positive psalm, we get insight from David as to how to stay encouraged in life. David has expressed that his enemies have not left him and are threatening him. And because of these enemies, he would have lost heart. He would have been discouraged unless David had something going for him that his enemies did not have. David had a trust in God.
David believed that God was good. He seemed to carry this belief all his life. Over and over, we see David depending on the Lord's goodness even when he had made mistakes. David believed that the Lord would come through for him. If he did not have this belief, it would have been easy for David to have lost heart, lost courage. But he believed that he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. David believed he would see God's goodness here on earth, not just when he went to heaven.
Notice David did not say that he had seen the goodness. He was not speaking of a past-tense experience. In the midst of his enemies, David believed that he would see. He had not seen it yet but believed he would experience God's goodness. Because of this positive expectation David did not lose heart. He stayed encouraged.
The next verse gives further insight as to how to stay encouraged. Wait on the Lord. The margin of my Bible says, wait in faith on the Lord. This is not a passive waiting to see if God shows up. This is an expectant waiting for the goodness of God. Wait expectantly on the Lord and be of good courage. Evidently, the tendency to give in to fear can be present while waiting, so be courageous and resist the fear. As we do, God will strengthen our hearts. And when our heart is strong, we can move past discouragement.
David went through a lot in his life. He faced battles with enemies and problems in his own household. At different times, people helped him, and some turned on him. He experienced the highs and lows of life. But through it all, He remained committed to the Lord and firm in his belief that God was good and would be good to him. David's attitude and faith in God saw him stay strong and true to the Lord all the way to the end.
PRAYER
Lord I believe You are good and good to me. I believe I will see Your goodness in my life. Both in this life and the in the ages to come. So, I wait expectantly on You and I stay encouraged knowing You will strengthen my heart!