A Cure for Despair

What do you do when your soul is in despair, when you have lost all hope and find no reason to carry on? What do you do when you feel it would be better to quit your faith than to continue in it? I really would like to know from you your answer to these questions, so please comment.

I find it interesting that when the Psalmist described his soul as being in despair he said “Therefore, I remember you from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.”

In his despair, when his soul was cast down within him he gazed back at the work of God during times of great despair. He remembered how God dried up the waters of the Jordan so Israel could enter the promised land after 40 years of wandering and death in the wilderness. He remembered how God had given Joshua and Israel victory over the Amorities and all the other kingdoms in the promised land. He even remembered how God had protected him from Absalom and given him rest.

In other words, David found that when his soul was in despair his best course was to think about his history with God and the manifold evidences of God’s presence and deliverance in the lives of His people. Somehow, this exercise of remembering brought David comfort in despair. He found solace in thinking about God.

My prayer is that you and I can remember to remember God when we find ourselves most troubled within our souls. How do you overcome despair or find comfort when your soul is cast down within you?