Tag Archives: encouragement

July 15

Leave a reply

Isaiah 37:14-38:22, 39:1-8; 2 Kings 20:1-19; 2 Chronicles 32:27-31

Sometimes it’s hard for me to read things in the Bible like Hezekiah’s miracle. When Hezekiah prayed while on his deathbed, God gave him fifteen more years to live. He even gave Hezekiah a miraculous sign (as if healing wasn’t sign enough) and time went backward.

But as I read on it seems Hezekiah wasn’t all that grateful. When God revealed to him that his children would suffer for Hezekiah’s sin, Hezekiah thought, Oh good. At least there will be peace in my lifetime. Nice.

It’s hard for me to read this because I find myself asking why did Hezekiah get fifteen more years and our Geoff didn’t? Why did my mom die in 1996 when we prayed for a miracle believing God would heal her?

Maybe you’ve been disappointed as well, when a loved one died too soon. Maybe you’ve prayed believing for a healing for yourself or a loved one and the miracle never happened.

I want to encourage all of us today that God is love. As his children his goal is for us to join him in heaven. For the Christian, death is not a punishment but a reward. Their absence hurts those of us who miss them on this earth. But their deaths are not about us. It’s about them in the presence of Jesus. It’s about them free from pain and the worries of this life.

May God encourage each of us who mourn today. May we trust him even when we don’t see the why’s of what happens. And may we be able to rejoice with those who get their miracles when we don’t.

Father, forgive me when I question you. I know that you are trustworthy, that you love me and those I love more than I can imagine. But I hurt sometimes, Lord. I miss those who have joined you before me. Would you give me a sense of your Presence, your Peace, your Comfort. Give me Jesus, Father, as I mourn. I pray the same for all of us who didn’t get our miracle.

July 10

4 Replies

Psalms 75, 76, 77, 80

Have you ever had a bad day? I mean a really, really bad day – or week – or year when nothing goes right, when your heart is broken, when you lose hope?

The writer of the 77th Psalm was in distress. His soul refused to be comforted. He cried out to God in anguish. He groaned. He was too troubled to speak.

But he didn’t allow himself to stay there. Look at 77:5:

“I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night.”

Then in 11&12 he says:

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.”

Then he goes on to do just that.

Satan would have us live defeated. Let’s not give him even one minute. I think the psalmist had the right idea. Instead of dwelling on all the reasons you have to be distressed, try thinking about all the ways you are blessed. Starting with Jesus’ work on the cross on your behalf. Consider the ways you have seen God work in your life instead of continuing to agonize over whatever is troubling you.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to hurt when bad things happen. Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died. I’m just suggesting with the psalmist that counting your blessings goes a long way to defeating Satan’s attempt to steal your joy.

Father in Heaven, some of us are hurting. Some of us have reason to be distressed and downhearted. We give you our grief, our fears, our anguish. Help us to praise you, to remember how blessed we are in spite of what is troubling us. Help us not to dwell on the problems we face, but to look upon you our Savior, our Healer, our Shepherd, our King, our Friend, Almighty God who has the power to help us through the darkest days and who promises to go with us every step of the way. May we who go to you with broken hearts, know the strength that comes from you and the joy that comes from praising you.

June 18

3 Replies

I Kings 22:36-40; 2 Kings 1:1; 2 Chronicles 19:1-11, 20:1-30; Psalms 46, 47, 48

Judah was in trouble. Word reached King Jehoshaphat that a vast army was coming to destroy them. The king knew he and his army were no match for the enemy.

Have you ever felt like that? Like the circumstances of life are such that you feel you can’t face them and win? Have you ever looked ahead and thought, it’s too much?

We can all learn from Jehoshaphat’s example. The first thing he did was to proclaim a fast. Not a quick-start to a diet fast, but a down on your knees, heartfelt, honest time of prayer instead of eating. A time of seeking God, earnestly pouring themselves out before God.

Then the people gathered together. Listen to some of what Jehoshaphat prayed that day:

For we have no power to face this vast army (insert whatever it is you are facing) that is attacking us. We don’t know what to do, BUT OUR EYES ARE ON YOU. (2 Chronicles 20:12)

The third thing they did was to set out for battle. Have faith in The Lord, Jehoshaphat says. Then he told them to praise God. Before the battle, during the battle. Praise God.

Verse 22 says, “As they began to sing and praise, The Lord set ambushes against the (enemy)”.

So here’s what I think is an example of how to face life’s troubles. 1) Seek God, fast if you can, 2) Pray. Admit your helplessness and lay it all at God’s feet, 3) Get up and get going. 4) Praise God before, during, and after. Praise God.

Be sure to read Psalm 46 today. Especially if you feel you are in a situation with no hope. I’m telling you there is hope. God is our refuge and strength in all circumstances. Seek him. Trust him. Praise him.

Father in heaven, thank you once again for your Word that speaks to hearts today. Some of us are going through things in this life that are overwhelming and we just don’t know what to do. May we keep our eyes on you. May we seek you, trust you, and praise you in all things. Remind us that you are our strength, our refuge. Be exalted, Lord.

June 13

2 Replies

I Kings 14:29-51, 15:1-15, 25-31, 14:19-20; 2 Chronicles 12:15-16, 13:1-15:19

Rehoboam’s grandson Asa became king of Judah after Rehoboam’s son Abijah died. Abijah’s heart was not devoted to the Lord and he only reigned three years. Asa, however, did have a heart for the Lord.

Asa took down the altars of the false gods and once again the sons of David worshiped the one true God. In fact, anyone who refused to seek the Lord was put to death.

But in 2 Chronicles 15:15 it says all Judah rejoiced about the oath because they swore to follow David’s God wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly and God blessed them with rest and peace on every side.

Once again I am reminded that rest and peace come from seeking God.

Oh, restless spirit, look to the Lord. If you think happiness and fulfillment lies in wealth or popularity or a spouse or children or success you are looking in the wrong places. Seek God. Love God. Trust him. Submit to him wholeheartedly and you will find rest for your soul.

It’s a promise demonstrated in the life of Asa and Judah during his reign. And we worship the same God they did way back then. He has not changed. He still brings rest to those who seek him.

Let’s be seekers of God today.

April 17

2 Replies

Psalms 5,59,133,34, I Samuel 21:1-15, 22:1-5, I Chronicles 12:8-18

Saul was actively searching for David in order to kill him. David had to leave his home and hide in a cave. He knew he had done nothing wrong to Saul, yet here he was – running for his life.

In the midst of this turmoil David was able to write some pretty encouraging words. Here are a few of them:

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

“O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.”

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”

“O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.”

Later he wrote:

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

and:

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

“A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”

God is reminding me today that he is greater than anything this world can throw at me. I am not a righteous person in and of myself. I am a sinner saved by grace and when Jesus came into my heart he put HIS righteousness on me as though it was my own. 

So because of Jesus, when I cry out the Lord hears me. When I have troubles he makes himself known and helps me in the midst of those troubles. It’s not because I’ve cleaned myself up. It’s because Jesus stands in my place.

Satan is the Saul in our life. He is actively searching for us in order to destroy us… me. He would steal our joy, cause us to doubt, make us think a little sin doesn’t hurt anything. We have done nothing wrong to Satan, yet he is out to destroy us.

I have shared that I am grieving the loss of my sweet nephew and dear father. Both men have been gone less than a year. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about them and miss them. There have been days when I found it hard to get out of bed, to breathe.

But during this grieving I can honestly say that God has been my refuge. He really has been my strength. I can say with David, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” When I “…sing of (God’s) strength, in the morning I will sing of (His) love”, even when my spirit is crushed, he reminds me that I really do have reason to praise him. As hard as it’s been to lose Dad and Geoff, I am reminded how blessed I am to have had them in my life. They will forever be a part of me. I thank God for that.

My prayer today is that whatever battle you are facing, you will have the same confidence in God that David had. May we all know the sweet release of allowing God to be our Strength. 

March 13

Leave a reply

Deuteronomy 1:1-3:11

Moses knows he is going to die soon. So what is it he wants to leave with the Israelites? These words in Deuteronomy record his last message to the nation he had led for forty years.

Moses begins by going over their history together. Remember, his audience had been pretty young when the Israelites left Egypt and arrived at the Jordan some forty years before. It was their parents’ disbelief which caused them to wander in the desert without ever taking the land God had promised them.

Now that generation is gone and the oldest Jew is only around 60 years old. Yet Moses is speaking to them as though it was their sin and not their parents’ who kept them out of Canaan.

We are all products of our upbringing. Raised by imperfect parents we are all imperfect people. Some of us have a great deal to overcome and some of us are living on solid foundations. But here is what God is saying to me today. We have choices. We can live in the past, blame our parents for our struggles, and allow the past to prevent us from ever seeing Canaan. Or we can give it to God and allow Him to heal us. We can, if necessary, refuse to walk the path our parents walked and enjoy a close relationship with the Father who will never fail us.

Moses is right to go over their history with these young Israelites. It’s important for us to take a realistic look at where we’ve been, too. But we don’t have to live there. If you are carrying the burden of your past, I pray you will find a counselor, pastor, or a friend who loves the Lord. Talk to someone who can help you find the answers you need and the courage to go on. God wants us to enjoy this journey.

I am praying for each of you who find this blog today. You may be one who is hurting. Or you may be one who can encourage someone who is. As God speaks to you, may He find you willing to obey.

January 9

2 Replies

Job 15-18

It’s a sad truth that we can be pretty judgmental. I’m not talking about identifying sin as revealed in Scripture. I’m talking about motive. I’m talking about feelings and reacting to circumstances.

“If it was me…” and we go on to tell someone what they SHOULD have done, or how they SHOULD feel. But Job says walk in my shoes, then we’ll talk.

Since Geoff’s death, his mom has experienced this several times. One person even told her she knew how Peggy felt because “my dog died”. A counselor told Peggy she knew what Peggy felt because she almost lost her own daughter in an accident. Almost. Peggy was quick to tell this counselor (and I use this term loosely) that she had no idea as long as she could still hug her daughter.

We need to be careful not to assume we know what someone else is experiencing. Empathy can only go so far. I am not you. You are not me.

One mother, who had lost her own young son to cancer told Peggy… I don’t know how you feel. But I know how I felt and still feel and it hurts. I’m here if you need me and I’m praying for you.

I think that’s the best counsel of all.