Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Psalms 57:10 (ESV) This verse is from a Psalm that David wrote when he had been anointed king and he was hiding from King Saul’s men who were trying to destroy him. In verse four he exclaims: “My soul is in the midst of lions;I lie down amid fiery beasts.” Yet he set his heart on a higher astronomical truth: God loves him and will be faithful to his promise (to make him king). In fact, God did just that and David became the most iconic king in Israel’s history and the ancestor of the Messiah. It worked out well for David when he trusted in God’s love and faithfulness; perhaps it will work out well for us! He really is our loving Father and he really will be faithful to his promises (though we must Continue Reading →

In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,till the storms of destruction pass by. Psalms 57:1 (ESV) We all have emotional “storms of destruction” passing through our lives from time to time. They might be COVID, or loss of a job, or loss of a loved one, illness, isolation, current events or just winter blues. If we have several converging at once it can be challenging to maintain peace in our soul. In all these times we can take refuge in the outspread “wings” of God. Picture a mother eagle covering up her chicks with her powerful wings in their nest atop a towering perch, protecting them from any harm. What could challenge this eagle? No other creature could overpower her high atop their perch. No storm will dislodge her. During storms we can set our hearts within the heart of God, knowing that he is all-powerful. Consider Continue Reading →

You keep track of all my sorrows.You have collected all my tears in your bottle.You have recorded each one in your book. Psalms 56:8 (NLT) We hate to suffer alone, and sometimes we forget that we never suffer alone if we are in Christ. The Psalmist knows that God sympathizes with his people. He remembers our sorrows like entering them in a written ledger, or like collecting tears in a bottle. He is fully aware and doesn’t forget. He saves them up like an investment account and God makes sure they will pay off later. Thus, in the verses after today’s verse he says: “My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side! I praise God for what he has promised” (Psalms 56:9-10). Remember that God has actually tasted deep suffering: as the Son he was persecuted and executed. He Continue Reading →

Cast your cares on the Lordand he will sustain you;he will never letthe righteous be shaken. Psalms 55:22 (NIV) This verse is very similar to a well-known New Testament passage, 1 Peter 5:7 which reads: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (NLT). Is it easy to cast our cares on him? It sounds like we should be throwing our anxieties on him like we would throw our backpack on the floor when we are done with a hike. We don’t want to carry it anymore so we throw it down and let the ground support the backpack. We never worry about whether the ground can support our backpack; we are fully confident in its strength. It carries the weight of 100-floor skyscrapers so it can carry the weight of our backpack. Likewise, God can carry the weight of our anxieties. It is not Continue Reading →

Evening, morning and noonI cry out in distress,and he hears my voice. Psalms 55:17 (NIV) It is easy to forget that God actually hears the words we speak to him. When I pray I sometimes realize that I am unconsciously thinking that I am sending words upwards and I hope that they penetrate into heaven and that God hears them. But God promises that he hears us. And by “hear” we mean that he gives weight to our words and that they have an effect on him. He is the good Father who listens. Does not God dwell in our hearts through his Spirit? Are we not united to his Son? How could he not hear us? Let us be aware of how we view God when we pray and encourage ourselves that he is listening. Without faith it is impossible to please God! (Heb. 11:6) God Is Our ProtectorFebruary Continue Reading →