Encourage Yourself!

1 Samuel 30:6 “David was in great distress because the people in their bitterness said he should be stoned…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”

Greetings,

When we are upset, going through troubles, and find our faith failing we are to encourage ourselves in the Lord.  I, thank God, have never experienced people wanting to stone me, but have had moments of great distress nonetheless. The right response is to encourage ourselves in Him.

How do we do that?    

For me it’s all about purposely reminding myself that God has never let me down. He has seen me through every trial, and I am grateful.  He has seen me through loss, and my heart sings because no matter how tough, every single loss is temporary.  He has guided me down the tricky and often confusing paths of being a good mom, and my kids are alive, I am alive, and we all love each other deeply and powerfully. He has steadily led me in those moments when I did not know what to do, and looking back, I can clearly see His wisdom at every turn.

One such season of complete, “What do we do now?” happened when the company Jorge worked for suddenly went bankrupt.  Within a few days our income stopped – came to a dead halt – and both company cars were repossessed.  I am not too ashamed to admit that we never saw it coming, and that my husband actually rode the bus for a while.  It was rough.  The bills still demanded payment, the kids were in private school, and we had a mortgage to pay. 

Night after long night Jorge and I would go to the Lord and freely admit that we needed Him.  We had no clue what to do or where to turn.  Looking back now we can both see the hand of God moving actively in our lives to get us back on our feet again and onto steadier ground.  The decisions made in the aftermath of that trial, were made only after consulting with God about everything and anything.  God has lifted us higher than we could have ever imagined, Jorge is working in a field he loves, he is his own boss, and enjoying God-given success.

In his distress, David encouraged himself in his God, and ultimately, God “delivered and protected him (Read 1 Samuel chapter 30).”  In our distress, God delivered and protected us as well.  He’ll do the same for you.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We encourage ourselves in You today by saying Thank You for Your faithfulness.  You have been and will always be with us each step of the way.  May we sense Your presence more than ever.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~