Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Psalms 42:11, NIV) Psalm 42 is the psalm that begins with the Psalmist declaring that he thirsts for God like a deer thirsts for water. Then he explains his thirst: “My tears have been my food day and night” (Psalm 42:3, NIV). Later he wonders is God has forgotten him in the midst of oppression from his enemies. Sometimes it will feel like God has forgotten us. All we can see is the painful circumstances surrounding us. We cry out but nothing happens. In such times it is easy to forget how God has proven himself to us in the past. We have experienced his Spirit in our hearts; he has delivered us from trials. We forget to say “I will yet praise Continue Reading →

Many, Lord my God,are the wonders you have done,the things you planned for us. (Psalms 40:5 NIV) God has plans for us. This is the rock of our soul, that we know he will do good for us. For the rest of our life on earth, he will give us victory over sin and trials. We will radiate Christ’s light to those around us. We will enjoy God’s Spirit and live with inner peace and joy. God has plans for us in the next life. We will be free from our old corrupt self. We will see Jesus and be transformed to be like him, which means the image of God will be fully restored in us. We will be “married” to Christ so that his divine nature will permeate us. We will live in eternal bliss. God will reward us individually for the sacrifices and good works we have Continue Reading →

The Lord makes firm the stepsof the one who delights in him;though he may stumble, he will not fall,for the Lord upholds him with his hand. (Psalms 37:23-24 (NIV)) Our Christian life is a journey, and it comes with many twists and turns and stumbles. We may want God to give us instructions for every step, but he does not do this, nor would he want to. He wants us to learn to trust his invisible hand, which we may not even recognize. Instead of waiting for step-by-step instructions, God would like us to delight in him. This keeps our hearts abiding in him, which he honors with guidance. Then he upholds our steps. Our steps will be “firm”; they will solidly contact the ground and give us a foundation for our next step. We may stumble because of the troubles in the world or because of our lack of Continue Reading →

“But the meek shall inherit the landand delight themselves in abundant peace.” Psalms 37:11 (ESV)Earlier in this Psalm, the psalmist was encouraging readers not to fret over wrongdoers because they “will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb” (v. 2). Instead, if we are patient, God will bless the righteous. It is not the violent or selfish who will eventually inherit the earth, but rather the meek, those who “trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness” (v. 3). This reminds us of Jesus’ words “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:4, ESV). He was saying that when God’s kingdom is fulfilled, the peaceful ones who followed God will rule over the earth; this is the promise of the kingdom of God. Thus, the promise of this Psalm will be fulfilled. We do not need Continue Reading →

“He will bring forth your righteousness as the lightAnd your judgment as the noonday.” Psalms 37:6 (NASB)Our faithfulness to God and his way of virtue often goes unrewarded. At work we may swim against the current and choose honesty and integrity. We might go out of our way to do something extra for someone or help them in their work. We hope that the truth will be known, but if our fellow workers are not followers of God, we might be ignored or even pushed out to the margins. In general, our righteous actions may not be recognized because of the selfishness, resentment, or suspiciousness of others. Humans are naturally self-centered, so we need to accept this with grace. Some people will be oppositional just because you are a Christian. But God promises that one day, probably not until the next age (though the Psalmist probably wasn’t thinking about that), Continue Reading →