God is our very faithful comforter, the One who is able to lift us up when we're down, sad, and anxious. The Bible says God is the lifter of our heads, the One who gives us reason and motivation to live life joyfully and cheerfully no matter what we face.

Are you discouraged right now? Do you feel helpless, or inadequate for life? If you say "yes," then be encouraged by the fact that the Lord loves you and is for you.

'Praise the Lord, o my soul'

The Bible gives us a wonderful instruction and admonition in facing discouragement. It's found in Psalm 103:1-5, a song of David.

"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Here are some takeaways we can get from this passage.

1. We should consciously decide to praise the Lord

When David said "praise the Lord, my soul," he was commanding himself to give praise and thanks to God. Whatever we might feel, whatever our emotions might say, nothing changes the fact that God is holy and good, and is always good to us. Keep praising Him for who He is.

2. Remember what the Lord has done

When we are discouraged, we should be careful to "forget not His benefits." When we lose sight of the goodness that the Lord has already displayed in our lives, we might soon forget that He is good to us. We must never forget the fact that He saved us in Christ. And no matter what problem we might face – even in church – we must always remember that God is good.

3. Keep holding on to God's promises

Verses 3-5 give us just a short list of some of the benefits that we have in the Lord. Although God might have done these things in your life, realise that they're also promises – things that we'll still receive from Him when we put our hopes and trust in Him. Depend on God for them, and receive them in due time.

"...who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Psalm 103:3-5)