Encourage Yourself in the Lord

Let's set the scene: It’s early morning. Coffee's brewing. Your outfit is chosen, and the day's agenda is all mapped out. You are READY!  You say to yourself, “Yes! It’s going to be an amazing day!” 

Aren’t you thankful for the new mercies He gives to us each morning? Great is His faithfulness!

We are all on this journey called life. We wake up not knowing what the next moment will bring, but the one thing we do know is WHO holds every moment of our lives. So, when the unexpected comes, when the difficult or heartbreaking moments enter the scene, what do you do? How do you respond? What action do you take? Who do you call?

These questions are not easy to answer. Sometimes we just don’t know how we are going to respond in moments of crisis or heartbreak. Here's the bigger question:

When was the last time you encouraged yourself in the Lord?

This past week, I was reading a story about David before he became king. The story comes from 1 Samuel 30. David and his men arrive back in Ziklag on the third day only to find the city raided, destroyed, and completely burned down. To say the very least, David and his men were distraught and utterly heartbroken over this destruction and captivity of their wives and children.

The passage tells us that, “David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.” 

What would you do in a moment like this? Here are three probable responses that you might say to yourself:

1.     Fight: "Girl, take off your earrings and feel the adrenaline rush!" (Retaliate.)

2.     Flight: "Girl, get out of here!" (Run away from the conflict.)

3.     Freeze: "Huh? What?" (Allow the shock to paralyze all thought and action.)

Can you imagine for a moment how David must have felt? And there's more!  David’s men were so upset that they wanted to stone him. They were filled with so much grief. These men blamed him for what the Amalekites did to their homes and their families. Would you want to be in David’s shoes?

What I love about this tragedy is David's response. David did not let his emotions overrule his thinking nor did he allow fear to overtake him. Rather, David encouraged himself in the Lord. In 1 Samuel 30, it tells us that, “David found strength in the Lord his God.”

I love what David decided to do in verses 7-8:

“Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered, “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."

David found his strategy and strength in the Lord when he decided to seek God. He encouraged himself in the Lord.

It says in 1 Samuel 30:6 that when David encouraged himself in the Lord, it IMMEDIATELY brought him strength. David realigned his thinking and perspective, knowing that the Lord was in control. He knew that the Lord was going to provide what he needed for his next steps of action.

David did not have the encouragement of the men around him in that moment, but that did not shake him as a leader and son of God. This was such a crucial moment for David and his men. The consequence of his response to this crisis was a win or lose. David chose to go to the Lord to find his encouragement and seek His will. As a result, David regained his strength and his victory, not only for himself, but for ALL his men.

It’s safe to say that if David had not responded in this way, he would have LOST everything. 

David understood that he needed to regain his physical and spiritual strength in the Lord. But what David also received was mental strength. This positioned him to become sensitive to God’s voice in order to move forward. Despite what his current situation looked like; David remembered to encourage himself in the Lord.

He experienced a SHIFT.

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I don’t know about you, but this encourages me. We, too, can experience a SHIFT in our lives when things seem hopeless or impossible. Even when we feel betrayed or talked about negatively, hopefully our first response won't result in a "stoning situation", if you know what I mean!

When we take the time to seek God and encourage ourselves in the Lord, we:

·       Are filled with compassion

·       Gain clarity

·       Walk securely with confidence

·       Combat anything that comes against us

I encourage you to read the whole chapter of 1 Samuel 30 this week. Allow this real-life story to give you encouragement as it did for me.

God changes everything when we allow Him to encourage our hearts. We can clearly see that there is an insight that the Lord gives for the “battle” when we seek God and encourage our spirit in His presence and with His word.

We can encourage our hearts with the word of God today. Let these verses of truth from God’s Word breathe life into your heart today as you seek Him.

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

Now we can surely say: "Today is going to be an amazing day because we are encouraged in the LORD. He is in control!"

Bethany Marshall