November 7, 2011 with 22 Comments

466.

A Word of Encouragement

Every Sunday I sit in front of my computer and pray this prayer:

Lord, What would you like me to blog about this week?

As I have quieted my heart to hear His still small voice, I keep coming back to one theme for today: Encourage them.

Maybe you’re reading this post in a season of doubt and discouragement. Maybe you’ve been waiting on God to answer you or deliver you or meet you in a specific way, but you keep coming up empty. Don’t give up yet.

Hope is on the way.

I know a woman who felt a deep need in her life. Everyone else around her seemed to be moving forward except for her. No one understood her. No one seemed to empathize with her.

Her name was Hannah and her story is in I Samuel 1.

When she desperately wanted a baby, her rival had several.

When she longed for her husband to love her, he simply appeased her with gifts.

When she waited for a miracle, all she got were the hurtful words of others.

Overcast skies, Dead end roads. Lonely benches on isolated roads.

I’ve been there too. One moment you’re in the middle of the best days of your life, then just as suddenly you find yourself alone, misunderstood, forgotten.

If only God would listen.

If only He would unhide himself.

If only…

What do you do when you find yourself in that place? What do you do when nothing changes and everything seems wrong? Where do you go when you feel overwhelmed, alone, and weighted?

You go to the only place that’s left.

You go to your knees.

In I Samuel 1:10 it says that Hannah “was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.”

There was nothing practiced about her prayer.

There was nothing sophisticated about her prayer.

There was nothing proper about her prayer.

She just got on her knees and she stayed.

She didn’t find her girlfriends to vent.

She didn’t open the fridge and eat.

She didn’t turn the television on and numb the pain.

She didn’t get her credit card out and drown her sorrow in a debt she didn’t need.

No.

She simply got on her knees and prayed.

Do you want to know how long she stayed?

She stayed as long as it took.

She stayed as long as it took to get it all out.

She stayed as long as it took to work out the kinks.

She stayed as long as it took to pour her heart out.

She stayed as long as it took til she knew she was heard.

She stayed until she was no longer alone.

She stayed until the sadness was gone.

In I Samuel 1:18 it simply says this: “Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

This wasn’t the first time that God heard a prayer and it won’t be His last. Back in Exodus 2:24-25 He heard the groaning of the people of Israel. It says “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel and God knew.”

And He’ll remember yours.

If only you’d get on your knees and pray.

You’ll find Him right there – waiting for you.

Be encouraged, my friend, hope is on the way.

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  • Milo

    Always hope with God. He only does what is best for us. We pray and He always answers on the most beneficial way for us and for His Glory.

  • http://julz Julie

    WOW! That really spoke to me. I can tell you from experience that when we finally surrender ourselves to our knees, God does His most marvelous work. So many times we go to everything except for the King of Kings and then we wonder why change never happens! The key is surrender to our knees.

    • Denise Archambault

      No doubt you heard Him right about encouraging others – and you have not fallen short. I could hear it all the way from heaven to my house as I read this – God saying to you “WELL DONE good and faithful servant”. I would forward this blog entry on to other people I know and love that could use this truth this morning – but most of them follow your blog now anyway. Thanks for listening for and speaking God’s truth.

      • Kristi

        LIKE! Thank you for pointing me to Lina. Between the two of you, I’m having a difficult reason finding any excuse to throw my pity parties these days! :)

        • Kristi

          So now I’ll work on writing coherent sentences. :)

          • Denise Archambault

            Hey I liked your sentence just fine Kristi! Proverbs 3:27 says “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”. It was within my power to give you the “good” of Lina – so I did!

  • http://kentostby.com Kent

    I try to remind myself each morning that stacked up next to the love of the eternal God, my issues are rather small and that there is joy for the taking.

    It doesn’t mean that every day is easy and, truth be told, these past two weeks have been difficult, but I do believe that perspective and focus on Him is almost always the cure.

    Sometimes it is jumping in joy at His love and sometimes it is just saying “God, you said this life was supposed to be abundant and it’s not right now so what do I have to change or what it is it you are doing?”

    My Mom always reminds me of Elijah when he fled in discouragement. God brought him food and told him to sleep and sometimes I think that is what we need.

  • Gina

    morning, everyday your posts encourage me and my mom and Kathy’s daily messages I get and forward to my mom and friends. This was beautiful message to wake up to and read.thank-you for a great start of the week :)

  • Mari

    Lina,

    It seems everywhere I turn God is calling me and those I love to prayer. Thank you for your word. He alone can get us through the mire. A friend last night quoted for me, “And My house shall be called a house of prayer…” Matthew 21:13

    Thank you for your encouragement.
    God rocks!

  • Lori Ridder

    My Lord loves with such tenderness. I have been wrestling with discouragement all weekend. I have learned that my prodigal daughter has taken several steps deeper into the darkness of her rebellion and further from the truth and light of God’s Word and will for her life. My heart has been so battle weary as I continue to wage war against the enemy of my precious child’s soul through prayer and petition to the only One who can return her. We are 2 1/2 years into this fight, and though I continue to trust the Lord with her and for her, I must tell you, each step she takes away from truth and toward the lie; the more deeply my mother’s heart feels the arrows of the enemy. Thank you again Lina, for your faithfulness to the call on your life. You have been obedient, and your obedience has blessed me at the moment I needed it most.
    Under His Mercy – Lori

    • carole

      lori, i will pray with you for your daughter, this day. The Lord hears your prayers. suffering is when we tell God what we want and he says “no, my child.” “not now”. when Christ prayed for the cup to be taken from him, God said “no, my son. you must let all their iniquity be put on you.” and our Lord Jesus Christ was obedient to Gods will…even tho it was very hard. That is the suffering. Philippians 3:10 “that i may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” We know Him thru the fellowship of his sufferings. May we all know him more….

    • Kristi

      I will be praying with you, too, Lori. May His peace fill your heart today, and my you find rest in His presence. ♥

    • Amber

      Lori, you has a great way of looking at it! I would never know you are having a hard time, the Lord shines out in you! We all will be on are knees praying with you. Love you :-)

    • Diane Jordan

      Lori, will be praying for you and your daughter. God is at work, even if you don’t see it. Rom 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose.” It says ALL things – not just SOME things. He cares about your daughter and maybe she has to go through the darkness to find the light. I have had to cling to that verse many times.

      Praying for you, Diane

  • Tammy

    Hi Lina!

    Bulls-eye! Your posts are an encouragement to return to the Source! Thanks! Great to meet you at Revive’11. His energy for your long days ahead, and safe travel!

  • Olga Hennessey

    Thank YOU!

  • Amber

    Oh Lina, That is what I so need today! My parents and I are not on the same page. I’m sure how to even fix it other what you just point out, that I need to get on my knees and pray, pray and pray. I should know this cause I prayed for 5yrs for a new job and God so answered! I’m going to start today when I get off work. Thank you so much for being who you are and always pushing me far in my faith.

  • Gina

    Lori Ridder,ur on my prayer list.Stay strong God does answer in his time . My thoughts &prayers are with you&your family.

  • Jan Barclay

    Favorite line: She stayed until she was no longer alone. Thanks, Lina.

  • Kathy

    Thanks for being obedient to the Spirit and posting this today. Exactly what I needed to read – what an ENCOURAGEMENT!! :)

  • Tracy

    Very much needed this one today! Thank you Lina! Love reading your posts everyday they are always encouraging and you have no idea how many times I am going through something and then I pull up my email and you are writing on the very thing that I’m going through. I know you might not always see the results but we are out here reading, listening, learning, being encouraged, and growing in our walk. Thank you for blogging and allowing God to use you. :)

  • Lori Ridder

    Wow….I am humbled. Thank you so much to all of you that are praying for my daughter and our family. You will never know this side of Glory how much you all have blessed me!