Do you ever stop and wonder why sometimes life has to be so hard?
Well, you are not alone.
There are seasons life takes a dark turn serving us one bitter pill after another. Despite praying every prayer you know and putting the best foot forward, things may not just be working out.
If anything, they might be going from bad to worse.
Like Naomi of the Bible, you may be tempted to ask people to call you Mara for life has left a bitter taste in your mouth.
This is the thing.
Holding up during such difficult seasons is usually not easy. Not when every fiber in you feels like giving up.
Giving up is not an option though. God not only calls us to endure suffering but to do so joyfully (Romans 5:3-5/ James 1:2-4).
To help us endure joyfully, sometimes God providentially brings people our way to encourage us.
One day as David was fleeing from King Saul, his dear friend Jonathan visited him and helped him to find strength in God (1 Samuel 23:15-18).
The encouragement definitely emboldened David and give him the strength to hold up while on the run.
I pray God will bring Jonathans your way to hold your hands and encourage you as you navigate the difficult seasons.
Other times, no one will come to encourage you. Don’t get hung up over that, encourage yourself.
Another time, David and his soldiers returned home to a big shock. While they were away on military assignment, the Amalekites attacked their city Ziklag, destroyed it, and took captive women and children.
Anguish set in. The men wept until they had no more strength to weep. Their anguish quickly turned into bitter anger and they talked of stoning David.
As all that was happening, though in deep anguish himself, the text notes David found strength in God (1 Samuel 30:6).
In other words, he encouraged himself in God.
Likewise, if you have no one to encourage you, you have to dig deep within and encourage yourself.
Find strength in God.
Lean on God
But it’s hard, someone might lament. I appreciate the encouragement from other people and I also try to encourage myself to hold up but strength fails me. I feel so weak and I just want to give up.
Before you throw in the towel, hear this.
You don’t hold up in your strength but God’s.
See, from the two texts in 1 Samuel, one thing is clear. Whether someone is encouraging you or you encouraging yourself, it should be done in God.
Jonathan helped David to find strength in God. David found strength in Yahweh His God.
God should always be the object of our faith, not ourselves.
Lean on God’s strength, not yours. Tap into His immeasurable strength.
So, when your flesh feels weak and failing, allow God to be your strength and portion (Psalm 73:26).
The omnipotent God Yahweh will uphold you in ways you haven’t begun to fathom (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Trust Him. Look to Him (Psalm 123:1-4).
Wait on God. He’s a sure hope, an assurance of help (Proverbs 18:10).
God Has not abandoned you. He promises never to leave us or forsake us (Isaiah 41:10-13). You can trust Him to honor His promise.
Don’t give up. Keep keeping on.
So much good awaits you on the other side of perseverance (Hebrews 12:1-3).
As you take encouragement from other people, encourage yourself in the Lord.
Your morning will come. Darkness will give way to light. One day, suffering will be past tense. Keep keeping on!