ENCOURAGEMENT
This page is for the encouragement of everyone, because everybody hurts at one time or another. Introduction to the Page Therefore, we sincerely pray the words on this page will encourage and comfort all who are depressed, sick, mourning, or hurting. Before we get started, we want to remind you that it helps to keep in mind that God is the source of all comfort and endurance (Romans 15:5-6, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, 2 Corinthians 7:6), and that He also helps the oppressed (Psalms 146:9), and recognizes when we need Him. He will be our stronghold during our distresses (Nahum 1:7), and be a refuge for us (2 Samuel 22:31, Psalms 18:30, Psalms 34:8, Psalms 37:39-40). We are admonished to pour our hearts out to Him (Psalms 62:8) and throw our burdens on Him (Psalms 55:22, 1 Peter 5:6-7). God is near to all who call on Him (Psalms 145:18) and He will not leave those who look for Him (Psalms 9:9-10). God also sent Jesus Christ to be our comforting shepherd (John 10:14-15, 2 Thessalonians 2:16). Jesus himself seeks to comfort those who are mistreated; an example of this is when he healed a certain blind beggar. The healing caused the beggar to put faith in Jesus, and as a result the unfaithful Jews threw the beggar out of the synagogue for it. Jesus heard about it, and went to find the man. Once he found him, he spoke to him to strengthen his faith (John 9:24-39). On this page we tried to cover the different kinds of things that can weaken our faith and hurt us. It is our hope that it helps heal your wounded soul and help you strengthen your relationship with our Creator and His Son.
Daily Necessities Though we may suffer job loss, house fire, robbery, identity theft, persecution, or any other hardship, God will hear our pleas and provide us with the things we need. Trust Him. Fear Forgiveness of Sins Mourning Sickness One example is when He helped the Israelites escape the Egyptians. The Egyptian ruler (Pharaoh) would not allow Israel to go worship God, so God plagued the Egyptians until finally they made the Israelites leave. However, soon after the Israelites departed the Egyptians changed their minds and pursued the Israelites to recapture them. When the Egyptian army caught up with them, the Israelites felt trapped because on one side was the Egyptian army, and on the other side was a large sea. They began to panic, but God Almighty came to their rescue. First, He sent His angel to cause a large pillar of fire to block the Egyptian army's path; next he caused the sea to open so Israel could cross on dry land! After the people were safely across, God then killed the Egyptian army. Such an awesome display of his protection! (Exodus 14:5-26). Another example of God saving those who fear him is in the example of Rahab. Rahab was a prostitute woman who lived in the city of Jericho. God was about to help the nation of Israel capture the city of Jericho as part of the land area He'd promised them many years before. Joshua, the man leading the Israelites, first sent two spies into Jericho to get an idea of what the city was like. These spies met Rahab, who happened to be a believer in the True God and His awesome power. Thus, she not only gave them whatever information they wanted, but she also saved their lives by hiding them when city guards came looking for them. After the guards left, she helped them to sneak out of the city safely. For her courage God made sure to spare her and her family when Jericho was captured (Joshua 1:10-2:21, 6:1-25). Then there is the example of our Heavenly Father taking care of His prophet, Elijah: God sent Elijah to give the message to wicked king Ahab: There would be a drought and famine for a length of time. Right after this message was given, God saw to it that Elijah was taken care of; He sent Elijah to a water source, and then commanded birds to bring food to Elijah twice a day (1 Kings 17:1-6). Elijah had faith that God would provide his needs, and it was so. After this incident with Elijah, there was a widow with a son who were suffering from the famine. She had only one meal's worth of food left, and then they were destined to die of starvation. Instead, Almighty God sent Elijah to her. Elijah asked her for food, upon which she explained her situation to him. Elijah told her to not be afraid for her food supply will not run out. She put faith in his words and made a meal for them all to share. True to God's word as spoken by Elijah, her food supply never ran out so that she and her son didn't suffer starvation for the remainder of the famine (1 Kings 17:7-16). There is also the example of the imprisonments of the apostle Peter. Peter and some other disciples were arrested for preaching the news of Christ to the crowds. During the night God sent an angel to release them from the prison and directed them to continue preaching in the morning (Acts 5:17-21). Sometime later Peter was arrested again, and again God sent an angel, to not only release him from the prison, but also to open the city gates so Peter could exit the city altogether (Acts 12:3-11). What makes this especially comforting is that Peter frequently displayed bouts of human weakness (Matthew 14:28-31, Matthew 26:33-34, 69-75, Galatians 2:11-14), and despite these failures, God still saw the faith in Peter's heart and helped him anyway. It is comforting to know that God is willing to do these kinds of things to help and encourage us. He owes us nothing, and yet He cares for us and watches over us. May we never forget His strengthening power!
Comforting Psalms Psalm 23 Psalm 41:1-3 Psalm 46
Other Scriptures of Comfort (Darby Translation) Psalms 29:11 -- Jehovah will give strength unto his people; Jehovah will bless his people with peace. Psalms 4:8 -- In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; for thou, Jehovah, alone makest me to dwell in safety. Romans 16:20 -- But the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you. 2 John 3 -- Grace shall be with you, mercy, peace from God [the] Father, and from [the] Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
Links to Other Encouraging Passages Encouraging Bible Quotes Pillar Of Truth Ministries
May the God of peace be with you through your trials and tribulations. Hold on to Father's hand, he will lead you through the darkness.
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