Introduction: It is more difficult to be a man now than it has ever been in the history of the world. (Ladies, this is true for you, too; but today is Fathers Day.) Times have changed. Men and women have changed their expections about manhood and womanhood. Families have changed. Children are not reared the same as they once were. Children have changed. The teen-agers of today are not like the teen-agers of the 1960's. Marriage has changed. Church-going people have changed right along with society at large. The old traditional ways are being swept out the door rapidly.

In Psalm 55, David reveals his discouraged heart.

"My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught...My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest-- I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm."

Men, you don't have David's problems. You are not a king. You do not command armies. You are not literally in fear of your life, as David often was. But just the same, you have serious problems that discourage you from time to time. What discourages men today?

1. Men are discouraged by unfaithful wives. The latest AARP magazine has an article detailing a study that shows that wives more often leave their husbands than the other way around. I personally know a man that has been a wonderful husband and father, but his wife has simply decided that she is tired of him, and tired of marriage, and has decided to go her own way, to his great distress, and also to the distress of their children. Men and women, husbands and wives, please, let's be faithful to each other, and to the Lord.

2. Rebellious children. Now, there have always been rebellious children. The Old Testament, written 3000 years ago, tells stories about children who are disobedient to parents, children who take God's name in vain, and children who attacked the prophets of God. It was a problem then, and it is still a problem today. The hearts of both mothers and fathers are broken when their children deliberately choose to do evil. I know a couple whose daughter chose to leave home with evil companions, and become a drug addict. Her parents hearts were broken. I know a couple whose son decided to become a follower of Satanic heavy metal music, and who tried to commit suicide several times. Their hearts were broken. Young people: please stick with the Lord. Please honor your father and mother. Don't discourage them, and break their hearts.

3. Disloyal employers. We live in a new world, as far as employment is concerned. We now live in a global economy. Your employer will take your job away from you, and give it to someone in another country, who will work for less money. Your employer will take your job away from you before you reach a certain age, in order to avoid paying you retirement benefits. Employment experts now counsel young people to get ready to change careers multiple times in their lives.

They counsel to always be on the look out for a new job, because you can no longer count on employer loyalty. Desert your employer before he deserts you, is the new game. The "almighty dollar" is the bottom line. If laying off 2000 workers will make the stock price jump up, then companies will not hesitate to lay off 2000 workers. I once knew a man who was a restaurant manager. Three times he was fired, from three different restaurants, because his manager's salary had increased to the point where the owner could hire the assistant manager at a lower wage.

Nothing is more discouraging to a man than to get laid off from his job, especially if he has given years of education, and decades of faithful service to an employer.

4. So-called "friends" who stab you in the back. David seems to have suffered this problem in Psalm 55:

Psa 55:12-14 "If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God."

Jesus was betrayed by his friend Judas. For three years they had eaten together, walked all over Judea and Galilee. He betrayed Him with a kiss. Must have hurt Jesus' heart!

5. The constant struggle with the flesh. Our spirits have been regenerated, but we still have our same old sinful bodies. The lusts of the flesh are a constant enemy, and we lose the battle so often that we can become discouraged. The Apostle Paul wrote:

"Rom 7:21-24 "So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

We must learn to conquer discouragement as David did:

1. Instead of fleeing to the desert, we must flee to the Lord. We must go to Him in prayer.

"Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; But I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice."

David was a sinful man, just like you and me. He probably didn't pray much when life was good. He went to prayer as a last resort. But a last resort is better than no resort at all. God is our last resort, and He is our best resort. When you are in the depths of discouragement, go to God in prayer as David did: Evening, morning and noon.

2. Not only pray, but TRUST.

Psa 55:22-23 "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you."

I travel to Le Grand, Iowa twice a year to see my parents. They pick me up at the airport in Des Moines. When I'm on the plane between Memphis and Des Moines, I'm not worrying about getting from Des Moines to Le Grand. I have confidence that someone will be there to pick me up. They said they would be there, and that's that. It's a done deal. I don't think about it.

We should have that kind of faith in God. God has told us that He loves us. He said He would protect us, and take care of us. He said that "all things work together for the good of those who love Him." That should settle it. Let's learn to trust God, and take Him at His word.

Conclusion: Today is Fathers Day. Let's love our fathers, and let's honor them today, and every day of the year. And fathers, don't be discouraged by the hardness of life. You have a Father in Heaven who loves you, and who is watching over you every day.