God, Your Greatest Encourager

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

This week we’ve looked at the great value of encouragement and how you can grow to be more and more an encourager to those around you. But what if your own heart is discouraged? What if people in your home or at work aren’t being encouraging to you, and your “emotional tank” is empty? In times like these, look to the Lord, for he is your greatest encourager. God’s Word, his love letter to you, is full of encouraging truth and precious promises that will infuse you with courage and hope: that he loves you with an everlasting, unconditional love and that he chose you before you even existed (see Ephesians 1:11). He promises to be your strength, to help you, to uphold you, and to guide you continually (see Isaiah 40; 58:11). He will hide you in times of trouble (see Psalm 27:5), and his plan for you has always been filled with hope (see Jeremiah 29:11). When you pray, your Father hears you (see Psalm 120:1) and is attentive to your voice. When you call on him in even the greatest distress, he will answer you and set you in a large place. He is for you, not against you, and he is on your side (see Psalm 118:5-6).

How encouraging to remember that the Lord knows every moment of our lives and is always with us and for us. When we meditate on the endless encouragement in Scripture, the light of God’s truth refills our hearts with confidence. I am so thankful that God doesn’t leave us to our own devices to muster up this confidence. Instead, he stands ready to fill us with hope, encouragement, and confidence whenever we ask and seek him in his Word. —CHERI

Lord, when I’m discouraged or disheartened, let me look to you as my greatest encourager. Thank you for the Bible, which has encouragement for me in every situation.

God has in himself all power to defend you, all wisdom to direct you, all mercy to pardon you, all grace to enrich you.

—THOMAS BENTON BROOKS (1836–1900), GEOLOGIST

From the book