Do you remember your school days: doing homework and taking exams? And, oh hold your breath, to get that piece of paper handed back to you to see your grade? A was great; B was good; C was room for improvement; but D was Dreadful. But not as dreadful as the three D’s in life.
These D’s often come separately, but when they come all together, one on top of another, it can destroy your whole life: despair, depression, and discouragement.
Despair is a complete loss of hope. As Christians we have hope in Christ Jesus, but circumstances can make that hope slip. Hope is the light that guides us. Paul could have despaired many times as he faced imprisonment, confinement and all other trials; but he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:6 ‘For God, Who said. ‘Light shall shine out of darkness, is the One Who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.’ We all despair from time to time; it’s our light dimming. It is only through the hope of Christ that can overcome it.
Then we have the D of Discouragement, which we all experience. We get discouraged in our prayer life when it seems our prayers go no higher than the ceiling. We get discouraged in our church life, when it seems no one really cares. We get discouraged in our personal life when we fail to meet our own expectations. Our hearts become heavy and our eyes become dim. But one of my favorite verses of scripture reminds me that God has got my back. Jesus said in John 14:1, ‘Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.’ It reminds me of Jesus’ great sacrifice and His saving grace.
But the last D is my most hated enemy that Satan likes to use to provoke me … Depression. If you have never suffered from this horrible ‘D’, you are extremely lucky. Depression can cause all the other D’s. It will suck you into the blackest hole in which you cannot escape. That black hole gets darker and darker until you cannot find any light at all. It’s so difficult to get free of it on our own accord. Only God can free us. We have to let Him carry our heart. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
No one knew experiencing all these D’s together more than Job. He was pressed on either side. Even his wife told him to curse God and die. But Job knew better. He knew he would overcome somehow, someway by the God he served. And we, also, should remember the same God Job served is the same God we serve today. So, the next time a D gets delivered to you, take it Jesus and leave it there.
