Courage for the Discouraged
by Charles R. Swindoll

I waited patiently for the LORD; 
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of 
destruction, out of the miry clay, 
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 
—Psalm 40:1–2

Lord, we pray that You would bring relief when we are swamped with the ever-rising tide of discouragement. Grant deliverance for us who are caught in that swamp and start to slide into its slimy waters. Encourage our hearts as we face those depressing, dark moments that leave us feeling hopeless and believing the lie that things will never change. Father, give us hope beyond the heartbreaks we experience. We cling to the inspired words of the apostle Peter that if we humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God, You will lift us up. You will exalt us at the proper time. Discouragement keeps us humble, we confess, for we are never discouraged and bigheaded at the same time.

In humbleness, Father, we call upon You as Your children. We ask You to lift our spirits by transforming our minds. Strengthen us to see the value of dwelling on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. Help us to fix our minds on heavenly things rather than on those earthly things that drag us down.

Give us a rallying point around Your grace, dear Lord. We need that point of focus, our times being as they are . . .  and our moods so given to change. Thank You that Christ loves us and keeps on loving us. Thank You that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Thank You that the grace that saved us keeps us saved . . . regardless of our doubts and other weird feelings.

We also pray for those weary souls who have never met Your Son as Savior. How do they ever make it through the day? We ask that their burden of discouragement would be lifted by the realization that Jesus's death on the cross paid the complete price for their sins. Help them see past their pain to the reality that there is nothing they need to do or promise or change or give up or become . . . in order to be accepted by You. Help them to trust in Your Son. May they do so today.

Now to Him who is able to guard us from stumbling and to cause us to stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior . . . be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority . . . now and forever.

In His great name we pray. Amen.

See also Psalm 69:1–4; Daniel 4:36–37; Acts 16:31; Romans 5:8; 12:2; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:1–4; 1 Peter 5:6; Jude 1:24–25

Excerpted from The Prayers of Charles R. Swindoll, Volume 1, Copyright © 2010 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.