DESPAIR

/ Bible Study, With Malayalam Verses / By

How To Handle Despair

1. Hope in God's promises

  • Remember the word1 to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. Psalm 119:49 NKJV

Other versions

  • Remember the word to Your servant, In which You have made me hope. Psalm 119:49 NASB

Hope in GOD’s promises; personal prophesies + promises in the Bible.

2. Trust GOD

  • I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Psalm 27:13 NKJV
  • Overhearing what was being said, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; only keep on believing [in Me and my power].” Mark 5:36 AMP
  • But Jesus, hearing this, answered him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe and trust [in Me and have faith in My ability to do this], and she will be made well.” Luke 8:50 AMP

Other versions

  • I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Psalm 27:13 NASB 1995

3. Worship

  • Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the saving acts2 of His Presence. Psalm 42:5 NASB

4. Cry out to GOD

  • This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles3. Psalm 34:6 NKJV
Other versions
 
  • This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him And saved him from all his troubles. Psalm 34:6 AMP

How people handled Distress

1. David

  • Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.”… So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened4 himself in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 29:9-10 & 30:3-6 NKJV

Other versions

Problems

  1. Lost his job
  2. Lost accommodation
  3. Lost his family
  4. Own men against him
Solution
Strengthened/encouraged himself in the Lord his God. How would he have done that? Read: How To Handle Despair

2. Queen Esther

  • Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. … “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” … Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish! Esther 4:7, 11 NIV 1984 & Esther 4:15-16 NKJV
Other versions
 
  • Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews that are present in Susa, and observe a fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids also will fast in the same way. Then I will go in to [see] the king [without being summoned], which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:15-16 AMP
Potential Problems
  1. Destruction of Jews
  2. Her being put to death for approaching the King unsummoned

Solution
Resorted to fasting and asked others to fast for her as well.
Read: FASTING

 

Songs

Footnotes

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  1. 1697 דּבר [dâbâr] \daw-bawr'\
    From 1696; a word; by implication a matter (as spoken of) of thing; adverbially a cause: - {act} {advice} {affair} {answer} X any such ({thing}) + because {of} {book} {business} {care} {case} {cause} certain {rate} + {chronicles} {commandment} X commune ({-ication}) + concern {[-ing]} + {confer} {counsel} + {dearth} {decree} {deed} X {disease} {due} {duty} {effect} + {eloquent} {errand} [evil favoured-] {ness} + {glory} + {harm} {hurt} + {iniquity} + {judgment} {language} + {lying} {manner} {matter} {message} [no] {thing} {oracle} X {ought} X {parts} + {pertaining} + {please} {portion} + {power} {promise} {provision} {purpose} {question} {rate} {reason} {report} {request} X (as hast) {said} {sake} {saying} {sentence} + {sign} + {so} some {[uncleanness]} somewhat to {say} + {song} {speech} X {spoken} {talk} {task} + {that} X there {done} thing ({concerning}) {thought} + {thus} {tidings} what {[-soever]} + {wherewith} {which} {word} work.
  2. There are Saving Acts in God's presence. Worship brings GOD's Presence. Read PRESENCE & WORSHIP
  3. 6869 צרה [tsârâh] \tsaw-raw'\
    Feminine of 6862; tightness (that {is} figuratively trouble); transitively a female rival: - {adversary} {adversity} {affliction} {anguish} {distress} {tribulation} trouble
  4. חזק [châzaq] \khaw-zak'\
    A primitive root; to fasten upon; hence to {seize} be strong (figuratively {courageous} causatively {strengthen} cure6
    {help} repair6
    {fortify}) obstinate; to {bind} {restrain} conquer: - {aid} {amend} X {calker} {catch} {cleave} {confirm} be {constant} {constrain} {continue} be of good (take) courage ({-ous} {-ly}) encourage ({self}) be {established} {fasten} {force} {fortify} make {hard} {harden} {help} (lay) hold ({fast}) {lean} {maintain} play the {man} {mend} become (wax) {mighty} {prevail} be {recovered} {repair} {retain} {seize} be (wax) {sore} strengten ({self}) be {stout} be ({make} {shew} wax) strong ({-er}) be {sure} take ({hold}) be {urgent} behave self {valiantly} withstand.