Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,who seek him with their whole heart, Psalms 119:2 (ESV) The “testimonies” in this verse refers to the truths that Yahweh has established through his actions with his people. For example, the truths that God is all-powerful and delivers his people based on his deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. This is Yahweh’s testimony and one who keeps this testimony is one who lives according to the truths that God established by this and all the other interactions that Yahweh has had with his people. We are blessed when we keep God’s testimonies, established through his Son and his Apostles. Jesus showed us how to live through his life and death, and his Apostles followed in his footsteps. Paul said “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, ESV). Thus, we are to imitate the “testimonies” we see in the Continue Reading →

The LORD is my strength and my song;he has become my salvation.Glad songs of salvationare in the tents of the righteous: Psalms 118:14-15 (ESV) This passage encourages us by reminding us that Yahweh (“LORD”) is our strength, our song and our salvation. In Psalm 118 the Psalmist was thanking Yahweh for delivering him from military attacks by other nations. Yahweh defended him with his strength, gave the nation of Israel salvation from their enemies and moved them to sing songs about their salvation. And we have even more reason to sing of Yahweh’s salvation in our lives. His power raised Jesus from the dead with a new eternal body, then applied that same power to all of us who believe and follow Jesus! He gave us salvation from sin, from the Enemy, and from all the destructive influences in this world. Even death cannot separate us from his overflowing love Continue Reading →

The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.What can mere mortals do to me? Psalms 118:6 (NIV) People naturally fear what others might do to them. We know we cannot control others and we know that people can be selfish and harmful. Therefore, it is normal to feel unsafe in a world filled with humans. God knows this too and wants to be our rock of safety. In this Psalms the psalmist (who was probably the king) was thanking God for delivering him from other nations that sought to ruin the Jewish kingdom. He was not afraid of mere humans because the all-powerful Yahweh was on his side. Under the New Covenant God’s people have no kingdom in this age, but the principle of the verse still applies. The verse is quoted almost exactly in Hebrews 13:6. The idea of this verse is also presented in Romans 8:31 Continue Reading →

For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. Psalms 117:2 (NIV) For this passage I will present the words of John of the Cross (1542-1591) who described what it was like to experience God’s love. The soul now feels that it is all inflamed in the divine union, its palate is all bathed in glory and love, that in the intimate part of its substance it is flooded with no less than rivers of glory, abounding in delights, and from its depths flow rivers of living water.[1] The soul feels its ardor strengthen and increase and its love become so refined in this ardor that seemingly there flow seas of loving fire within it, reaching to the heights and depths of the earthly and heavenly spheres, imbuing all with love.[2] The soul always walks in festivity, inwardly and outwardly, and Continue Reading →

God is merciful.The LORD preserves the simple Psalms 116:5-6 (NIV) The Hebrew word translated as “simple” means naive or inexperienced. The book of Proverbs was written to instruct the simple (Prov.1:4), for they can become wise (Prov. 1:22). We are all simple in some areas. By definition, we cannot be experienced in everything we do. Sometimes we have to forge ahead with our simple understanding. But Yahweh (LORD) does not pass over the simple because they are not yet wise. He does not leave us to ourselves because we are inexperienced. Instead, he is merciful. He preserves our hearts and keeps us from ruining ourselves by our simplicity. This is very helpful to remember when we have to take some risks and we have done our best to discern God’s will, but we don’t have full assurance. We do not need to have full assurance of God’s will for every Continue Reading →