Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked,but I will increase the power of the godly. Psalms 75:10 (NLT) God is not willing that anyone should perish but desires that everyone comes to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). But what if they never come to repentance? Should they be allowed to live with the righteous forever? Should God preserve them so that they can rebel against God for all eternity? Should they have the freedom to corrupt God’s eternal community of love with his followers? Because of his love and mercy toward his people, as well as for the sake of the radiance of his goodness, God must “break the strength of the wicked” one day. If they persist in their self-focused lives until they die, then their “freedom” to infect God’s creation must come to an end. This frees his people to live in peace and harmony with Continue Reading →

Whom have I in heaven but you?And earth has nothing I desire besides you.My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my heartand my portion forever. Psalms 73:25-26 (NIV) Whom have I in heaven but you?I desire you more than anything on earth.My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,but God remains the strength of my heart;he is mine forever. Psalms 73:25-26 (NLT) We have presented this passage in two versions in order to get a better understanding of it. Asaph, the Psalmist, exclaims that the only thing he has in heaven is Yahweh, and the only thing he truly desires on Earth is Yahweh. Ultimately, all we really have anywhere, any time, is God. Everything else we have is dependent on God. Then the Psalmist reminds himself of God’s commitment to him. Even though his body gives out, and his heart – his Continue Reading →

I was so foolish and ignorant—I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.Yet I still belong to you;you hold my right hand.You guide me with your counsel,leading me to a glorious destiny. Psalms 73:22-24 (NLT) Who hasn’t felt foolish and ignorant in their walk with God? Who hasn’t gone down the wrong path, listened to the wrong teacher, or said the wrong thing to others? We have all done these things and sometimes we have unknowingly done them for years. But God does not distance himself from us. He does not send us to our room and tell us to get our act together before he will talk with us. For we still belong to him; he will still “hold my right hand.” He stays connected to us and guides us with his counsel. He is the Father who is always there, accepts us with our weaknesses and Continue Reading →

The LORD hears the needyand does not despise his captive people. Psalms 69:33 (NIV) The Psalmist encourages us that God hears us when we are in need, when we feel hemmed in by our troubles. Psalm 69 is a song of suffering. The Psalmist was going through immense misery. He searched for God’s presence but could not find it. I am worn out calling for help;my throat is parched.My eyes fail,looking for my God. Psalms 69:3 (NIV) In vain he searched for human comfort. Scorn has broken my heartand has left me helpless;I looked for sympathy, but there was none,for comforters, but I found none. Psalms 69:20 (NIV) But he did not give up. He stayed true to Yahweh. He believed in God’s promises of a flourishing future for his people in a promised land, which we now know is the coming New Earth. The children of his servants will Continue Reading →

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,who daily bears our burdens. Psalms 68:19 (NIV) It is easy to try to carry our own burdens since we tend to think we should be able to handle them on our own. But God is a Father to us which means that he cares about what is happening to us. He does not want us to bear all the responsibility for navigating our journey. Our cares do not fade away as we travel on; new burdens and responsibilities rise up as the years go on. So we always have the opportunity to: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7, NLT). What are your burdens now? How much are you carrying those burdens? Would it be better to unload them onto God’s shoulders? Should you be carrying anxiety about the challenges in your Continue Reading →