Everyone needs encouragement from time to time.
Thankfully we have the Bible as our ultimate source of encouragement!
In the midst of any crisis, discouragement, or even just having one of those “bad hair days”, we can remain hopeful and encouraged if we keep trusting in God.
Psalm 118:8 says, “IT IS BETTER TO TRUST IN THE LORD THAN TO PUT CONFIDENCE IN MAN”
Psalm 42:5 says, “Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God.”
To receive encouragement and praise from man is fleeting and short-lived. It gratifies us for the moment, which leaves us with those warm and fuzzy feeling moments, but I have found that the real key is to find specific Bible verses and meditate on them. According to the Word, this is how faith comes, and God is truly the one who is the ‘lifter of our heads’. (Psalm 3:3)
The more we soak up the truth of God’s Word, the more assured we become that He really is going to take care of us! The important thing to remember in the midst of the chaos, is that God is in control. He is not surprised by the events in our lives, and He is not unsure about how He is going to take care of us, His children. We are just as safe putting our trust in Him when things are going great, as well as, and even more so, when it looks like everything is falling around us.
For in Philippians 4:19 it says…”my God will meet all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Notice the above verse says “ALL.” It doesn’t say “some” or “most,” but it says that He will meet all of your needs. It doesn’t say how He will meet your needs and I have found from experience, God ALWAYS provides – it just might look different from what I had in mind! God is faithful and He always does what He promises, it’s just His way, not ours.
Jeremiah 29:11 promises us that God has a plan for us, a plan for well-being and not for trouble, to give us a future and hope in all that we do.
I have always been taught by my Church peers to always go to God’s Word for my answers, just like King David when He was discouraged. To take my eyes of me and put my trust in God, to Praise Him and thank Him, and then watch and see if God doesn’t lift me up in my situation.
Bad hair day or not God always uses our situations to teach us, grow us, strengthen us, and help us to see that, it is always the right time to SHINE brighter, no matter what happens around us, we are not to let ‘things’ dim what God has instilled in us!
Here are some of my favourite verses that I use when life isn’t fair. Hope they encourage you too.
Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”
Psalm 34:19 “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all”
Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Psalm 121:1-2 “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD…”
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Isaiah 40:31 “To those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Romans 8:28 “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose.”
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
1 John 4:4 “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the World.”