The ACS faculty meet corporately each day at 7:25 to begin the day in God’s Word and prayer together. This time proves to be vital for our faculty both in bearing one another’s burdens and in growing together in God’s Word. After our first three meetings this week, it was shocking to consider the amount of discouraging news that our ACS family has been experiencing. We’ve heard of our ACS friends and family being in severe car accidents, a dad injured in a hunting accident, a grandfather lost in a house fire, several folks heading for serious surgery, and scores of others dealing with illnesses and diseases. On top of that, I’ve counseled students this week who are battling depression, or are facing life changing family issues, or feel hopeless in general. When bad news seems to be around every corner, discouragement is sure to follow.

Discouragement is a hard thing for Christians. Some teach that if a Christian is living the way he is supposed to live he will be able to avoid discouragement completely. Yet a quick study of the topic in scripture surely dispels that notion. There are legitimate times and reasons for a Christian to be discouraged. This past Sunday, I shared with my congregation from 1 Samuel 30 about one of the most discouraging times of David’s life. He returns from battle to find that the enemy has ravaged Israel’s camp and has taken the wives and children captive. Especially during this point in history, the horrific things done to captives would be unthinkable. David and his men wept until they literally couldn’t cry anymore. David was truly discouraged and for good reason. On top of grieving the loss of his family, David’s men begin to scheme about possibly killing him in response to losing their own families. Could it get any worse?

1 Samuel 30:6 is one of the most interesting verses in scripture! Amidst all of the sorrow and discouragement, God’s Word tells us that David “encouraged himself in the Lord.” How could a man who has lost his wife and children and whose friends are plotting to kill him encourage himself? During our times of despair, we often look for someone to do something or say something to help us. In fact, we often pray that God would do something to change the problem or at least send help. Here, in 1 Samuel 30, David encourages himself. How is that possible?

A quick look at the 27th Psalm will reveal how it was possible for David to encourage himself in the Lord amidst so much tragedy. In Psalm 27, David declares that God is his light, his strength, his courage, and his hope. To close the chapter, David reveals how low he had been through various times in his life. Perhaps he wrote verse 13 in direct correlation with 1 Samuel 30. “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” The psalmist says he would have fainted if he had not believed. It’s not simply that he saw God’s goodness; it’s that he “believed” to see it.

When your life is upside down and fear or disappointment overwhelms you, are you willing to believe to see God’s goodness through the storm? Are you running to Jesus for light, strength, courage and hope? The news we’ve been hearing from many of our ACS families has been truly discouraging. Yet, the choice is ours! God is either working and moving through these things or we have no hope. One thing I assure you: He is working and He is moving! Do you see it? Maybe not. Better question-Do you believe it?