What do you do when despair takes over? Â What do you do when you become despondent? Despair means to lose all hope or confidence. Â Despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort.
Psalm 88 is the saddest Psalm of all 150 Psalms. Â The man writing the Psalm probably has leprosy which is a deadly, contagious disease with no cure. Â This disease results in the victim being isolated and separated from society. Â He wants to die… Psalm 88:15 “I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth; Â I suffer Your terrors; I am distraught.” Â He is a very defeated, discouraged and depressed man. Â At times, he blames God for his situation.
Here is a man who believes that he has no future, no friends, no foundation, and no faith.  Look at Psalm 88:8 “You have put away my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an abomination to them; I am shut up, and I cannot get out!”
Are you there?  Have you been there?  Is your child there? What is the leprosy that is causing the despair?  It could be a  reoccurring sin or habit. It could be an addiction. It could be a sickness.  It could be a financial problem. It could be a job loss problem. It could be a marital problem. It could be a family problem.  Whatever it is…it has devastated you and you are neutralized!
There are two things you must do in this situation:
1.  In boxing lingo, the psalmist was down for the count.  But the psalmist managed to cry out to the Lord.    When down and out, muster all your strength and cry out to God.  Psalm 88: 1-3, “O LORD, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry. For my soulis full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave.” Psalm 88: 13:  “But to You I have cried out, O LORD, and in the morning my prayer comes before You.”
2. Ask God to give you a new incite into your situation.  According to Matthew 7:11, God is a loving, caring Father and everything that gets to you is filtered through His fingers of love, for a divine purpose in your life. 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Be encouraged by Psalm 34 which repeatedly says that when you do cry out, the Lord hears!!!! Â Be encouraged by Psalm 138:8 “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me”!!!! Â Be encouraged by Isaiah 49:15 where God promises “…I will not forget you” !!!!
ReFocus Ministry is co-sponsoring a Wellness Seminar.  God created each of us to be a triune being that is made up of body, soul, and spirit. If one of these is neglected, we will not enjoy good health.  This seminar will concentrate on a balanced approach to life…a look at nutrition, the use of herbs and vitamins, the use of exercise, and the development of a healthy relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I will be teaching on God’s Design for Spiritual Health.  The Seminar is February 16-18. The location is the Falling Waters Mountain Lodge at 275 Kennemur Road in Ellijay, Georgia.  And the cost is $150.  Please notify me or Betsy Falgiano at 706-276-888 or 404-542-1834 if you would like to attend. Deadline for registration is February 9th. Cost does not include a room at the lodge.
God bless you.
Billy and Sheilah Daws