Encouragement, From Mom

Deuteronomy 31:8 "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

Isaiah 41:10  Don't be afraid, for I am with you.  Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

God has established a relationship with me.  God gives us assurance of His strength, help and victory over sin and death.

Psalm 121  I look up to the mountains--does my help come from there?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!  He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.  Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.  The Lord Himself watches over you!  The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.  The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.  The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.  The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

From me:

Wow.  What powerful and uplifting verses.  And after the, bad news after bad news after bad news, kind of week I am having, it's certainly no coincidence that the Lord would lead me to Mom's journal entry on encouragement.  God has a way of visiting when and how we least expect it!

I think of life, this twisting, turning, up one mountain, down one valley and back again journey we are on and realize we have no idea what the futures holds, how our days will unfold, good or bad....yet in Deuteronomy we are told the Lord goes ahead of us.  He's already there!  And not just in this life on planet Earth.  Just this past weekend we celebrated Easter.   Jesus has preceded us into death and resurrection, into everlasting life.  He goes before us.

It is God's hand that hold us.  And His strength never fails.  As I said, it's been a week of bad news....death, sickness, injury, financial blows....sometimes it feels as if the rain will never stop falling....yet in and through it all He is holding my hand.  And His hand always comes lifted up in victory!

Sometimes, you read a Scripture over and over again.  Its almost like it becomes, (and I say this not in a disrespectful way) common.  And then that same Scripture is brought to your eyes again...and all of a sudden it's as if you hear it, see it and feel it  anew.  And that is how I felt when I read    
Psalm 121 today. It felt new and fresh, alive....and I really needed that.  I love the verse...The Lord Himself watches over you!  He doesn't send a substitute...no emissary ....HIMSELF....He is watching over all of my life.  Every part.  Every hurt.  Every joy.  Every minute.  Every day.  Nothing escapes His notice.  Nothing is outside of His loving plans.  Nothing is wasted.  Nothing is left to chance.

Lord, thank You for Your care.  Thank You that we can trust You, even in the dark.  I don't know why things happen as they do.  And sometimes things that come our way really hurt.  A lot.  They devastate us and derail us.  Please help us to keep hold of the fact that You are still in control, still loving us and working on our behalf.

Today, take these verses and encourage yourself with them....and then share that encouragement with someone else!