Encourage

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Aloha Dearest Family,
            We are going to start our study in I Samuel 23. David is on the run from King Saul and is presently in hiding in the mountains of  Ziph.

“David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and he lived in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not let David slip into Saul's control. David was afraid because Saul had come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.“ (verses 14 and 15).

So what could David have done to make Saul want to hunt him down and kill him? After all David had done for Saul and for Israel; from his slaying Goliath, to playing the harp in Saul’s presence when Saul was troubled by an evil spirit, to his many successful battles for Abner, the king’s general. So why was David being hunted? Because of envy. What started out as King Saul’s deep jealousy of David, turned into a murderous obsession, and he used all of his resources to find David and kill him.

             
What do you think David thought? I’m sure he never fully understood the king’s reason for him and his men being hunted down like animals. It took every effort to stay one step ahead of Saul and his army to avoid capture. David was in a dire situation – then Jonathan showed up.

            “Saul's son Jonathan got up and went to David at Horesh, and he encouraged him to trust in God.”
What a breath of fresh air Jonathan’s visit must have been. The words David heard from his dear friend must have been invigorating to his soul.      

      “Jonathan told him, "Don't be afraid. My father Saul won't find you, and you will be king over Israel. I'll be your second-in-command. My father Saul also knows this. The two of them made a covenant in the LORD's presence. David remained at Horesh while Jonathan went home.” (It is interesting to note that it seems that Jonathan left his home for the express purpose of encouraging David. It appears that he was inspired by God. God cares for those that trust in Him. David was reminded to trust in His Lord.)

These must have been the perfect words to keep David going and to encourage him to keep trusting in God.
            God wants His people to be encouraged so that they will be strengthened to stay on the path He has laid out for them and to keep fighting the good fight. Here are a few more examples:

- God instructed Moses several times to encourage Joshua so that he would be ready to lead the children of Israel into the promised-land after he was gone.        

    “But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see." (Deuteronomy 3:28) 

            “... Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. ... Encourage him, for he will lead Israel as they take possession of it. ”  (Deuteronomy 1:38)

- The Apostle Paul went back to Jerusalem after many years away (against God’s advice) and is arrested and thrown into prison. But at a time when Paul needed the Lord the most, the Lord appears to him in prison to encourage Paul.

“But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” (Acts 23:11) There are many more examples in God’s Word, these are just a few.

We have been given a great commission to go out and make disciples of the lord Jesus Christ. But remember that our adversary, the devil, does not want people to hear the truth of the Gospel, so he will put people and situations in our path to hinder us. At these times we need to hear sweet words of encouragement to re-energize us and help us put our trust in God. Now the Bible has many, many words of encouragement to help us stay on track, but the most common method God chooses to encourage us is by way of other believers. There is nothing more refreshing than a word of comfort and encouragement from another believer. It is like cool water in a desert. We are in this fight together, we are fellow laborers together and the words that we speak to one another makes a big difference. We could choose to speak words that lead to life or words that lead to death. The choice is up to us.“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21)

Let us decide to always speak the words of life to each other. We all need to hear them. God’s Words spoken by His loving children brings light where darkness has started to creep in. The difference between light (God) and darkness (devil) is astonishing.

                                                                                Love Always, Ray 

     “A person's anxiety will weigh him down, but an encouraging word makes him joyful.” (Proverbs 12:25 GOD’S WORD Translation)