Encourage
the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
Isaiah 35:3
Thoughts~
I usually write my devotionals the night before they
are to be posted, not weeks in advance. So when you read one, what I have
written is fresh on my heart.
This afternoon a man named Matthew was feeling many frustrations
and had shared his feelings on his Facebook wall, unbeknownst to me. When his
page refreshed, the image from yesterday’s Daily T.A.P. had just been posted. He
wondered if it was a message from God (The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish
much. James 5:16). I happened to post it at the very right time, when he was
likely to see it, so I do believe it was God’s purpose to send some encouragement
and strength to Matthew.
Later, I had a similar thing happen to me. I had been babysitting
my one-year-old-constantly- moving grandson; as much as I adore him, I was
feeling super drained and exhausted. To add to my situation, his Mommy called
to say she was going to the hospital with leg pains and contractions with baby
#2. She said Michael’s Daddy would pick him up at 9:30 when he got off
work. I was faced with two and a half
more hours of babysitting which normally is not an issue at all. I was in the
kitchen, making coffee to perk me up and for about one minute I could hear
Michael happily baby talking and playing just 12 feet from me . . . and then there
was silence. I looked over at where he was playing and he was sitting on a 3’ high
sofa table in a crouch, feeling so proud of himself that he finally maneuvered climbing
up onto the wing chair and over to the
table. His joy was contagious and it was hard not to smile but it was rather dangerous.
I was so drained and wanted
to collapse and take a two hour nap. He did not like that idea at all. So, I gave him some Tupperware to stack and logged
onto Facebook to check in on things and the first post was this one, posted by a
page I like called Our Prayer:
“No matter how low down you are; no
matter what your disposition has been; you may be low in your thoughts, words,
and actions; you may be selfish; your heart may be overflowing with corruption
and wickedness; yet Jesus will have compassion upon you. He will speak
comforting words to you; not treat you coldly or spurn you, as perhaps those of
earth would, but will speak tender words, and words of love and affection and
kindness. Just come at once. He is a faithful friend - a friend that sticks
closer than a brother.”
-D.L. Moody
It was exactly what I needed. Sweet encouragement
on a rather tiring day. Not an overly stressful day and not one filled with
concerns, just one where comfort came gently into my heart. I do believe the
Holy Spirit sends us comfort and encouragement at the very right time. Always
and forever.
Action~
Sometimes when we have day upon day of struggles we
tend to get too much into ourselves. I think that’s when we need to work on
encouraging others the most. It takes our eyes off our situation and seeks to
help others. Can you think of a few ways
you can encourage someone today?
Pray~
God, I am always amazed how you bring me just what I
need when I need it. Thank you for your
encouragement and show me others that I can encourage.
Trusting in Him,
Becky
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