The Lord leads and guides us as we live the Christian life. Sometimes the way is easy, and sometimes the way is difficult. But, the Lord is
always faithful to encourage us as we walk with Him.
How does the Lord encourage us as we live by faith?
When the Apostle Paul was in serious trouble, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also” (Acts 23:11). This appearance must have been a great encouragement to Paul. We would all love to have the Lord appear to encourage us in the way He has set before us. However, none of us has seen the Lord in this way because we live by faith, not by sight.
We don’t expect the Lord to appear when we are alone to speak kind words that we can actually hear with our ears. Seeing and hearing the Lord was a special privilege given to the Apostle Paul. Even so, the Lord indeed encourages our hearts. He speaks to us in His Word – the Bible. Here we have His promises to His people in writing. And since the Lord cannot lie, He can only be faithful to every word that comes forth from Him. Our encouragement comes by reading the Word of God and resting in His truth. Then the Holy Spirit takes the promises of God and encourages and comforts our hearts – giving us assurance and great peace. In this way the suffering saints can be at peace in the worst of circumstances – just like Paul. And, it is Paul who wrote by the Spirit of God, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not things present, nor things to come, not powers, nor height, not depth, nor any other created things, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
It is the Word of God that comforts and encourages God’s people – whether spoken by Christ in person or revealed by Christ in His Word. The God who speaks great promises is the God who keeps His word. Our faith and trust is always in the Word of God and the God of the Word. And, as we live by faith in all the circumstances of life, the Holy Spirit will impress God’s truth upon our hearts so we can experience His comforting presence.