We all know that life can beat us up from time to time. We can go through difficult things, or people close to us can go through difficult things. When people we love (even our kids) go through hard things, we want to have words of encouragement for them. That can be very powerful. The idea that other people have confidence in us, despite hard things going on, can really give us a boost!
As you would expect from a good Father, the Bible has some major encouragements for us! The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that God says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” God doesn’t guarantee us that following him will be easy! What is does guarantee us is that He has plans to prosper us, to give us hope, and that our future in Him is secure.
The Bible also challenges us in Psalm 34 to “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” God invites us to see His goodness through the experiences of our lives. Once again, that doesn’t mean that ALL of our experiences will be pleasant, but it DOES mean that we are invited to experience God’s goodness personally and relationally, not just intellectually. When we “take refuge” in God, we allow Him to meet our needs and experience His goodness first hand! Then, we can be encouraged by our Heavenly Father, who loves more perfectly than anyone else can.