Steady Your Soul: Clinging to God in Change and Trial预览

Firm Foundation

Read Hebrews 10:24–25

Stand Firm in Truth

My friend who’s walking through an excruciating season of waiting sends me a text asking for prayer because her faith in God is on the brink of disintegrating. I quickly text back reminders of the countless ways God has been faithful to her, to me, and to His people since the dawn of time. My fingers type each word with fervor, adding verses I've been reading lately and the Truths about God I’m currently learning. And the moment I click send, I realize I just preached a much-needed message to my own weary soul. It’s pretty much a guarantee—the words I use to encourage others are the ones I desperately need to hear myself.

These soul-bolstering exchanges happen in ordinary places, over cups of coffee, through email and handwritten letters, while lingering in the church pews at the end of service to ask how the other person is doing. We swap stories with friends, and if we’re brave or broken enough, we share the hard transitions we’re navigating, the heavy burdens we’re carrying, the heartache we’re experiencing.

Word by life-giving word, our bone-dry cups are filled again, giving us strength and fortitude to keep going, keep trusting God, keep holding on to eternal hope in the midst of life’s constant changes. Because the truth is, when we are faithful to encourage others in the Lord, our own souls are reinforced with supernatural strength to face what lies before us.

Life often feels like one long, unrelenting transition. The moment we become comfortable where we are, our circumstances change and we have to shimmy our way into a new stage of life. After giving birth to my first child, I was flabbergasted by the all-encompassing impact that this tiny human had on my life. Not only did my entire schedule and lifestyle change, my body changed too. A few months postpartum, I developed a thyroid disease I have to monitor and treat with the help of doctors and medication for the rest of my life. Along with this disease came postpartum depression, a darkness I wasn’t expecting to encounter in a season that was supposed to be brimming with joy.

In the midst of this life-altering transition, when I was grasping at straws for hope, I reached out to women who’d gone before me, women who’d endured pain, navigated hardship, and lived to tell the truth of God’s Steadfast Love. Though these women weren’t in my current season of life, their words of encouragement shone a flashlight of hope into the darkness.

I remember sitting on my couch one day, completely inundated with lies and fear and unable to muster the courage to attend church where my husband was on staff. Weeping and embarrassed at my frail state, I texted my mentor asking for prayer, and the next thing I knew, she was standing on my doorstep with her Bible and chicken noodle soup.

The language of encouragement transcends life stage, occupation, and location. Just as my mentor encouraged me that Sunday morning with the unchanging Word of God and nourished my starved soul with her own testimony of God’s Goodness, I’ve been able to encourage friends with those same Truths I learned that day in later seasons.

At some point or another, we all need to be reminded that God is who He says He is and does what He says He will do. Whether we’re aching for a positive pregnancy test, checking email constantly as we wait for an acceptance or rejection letter, wading through the murky waters of grief, or searching for a place to call home, the same Gospel of Grace prevails and holds us fast.

The author of Hebrews writes, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24–25). A steadfast commitment to encouraging one another in the Lord stems from the Final and Finishing Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross (Heb. 10:19–22).

Encouraging others both reveals what we hold to be true and valuable and reinforces in our souls what we long to truly believe. Many times, I’ve encouraged a friend with words I was struggling to hold fast to myself. As Christ-followers, we speak encouragement not as women who never doubt or falter but who know the One who sustains us with Truth that never changes.

Gospel-centered encouragement is like a boomerang—the words we speak to build up others and refresh weary hearts return right back to us. So, sister, linger with your hurting friends and listen to them share their pain, frustrations, and questions. As the Holy Spirit leads you, speak encouragement from Scripture to them, equipping them to remain steadfast in the Word of God. And if you’re struggling to believe that the words you’re saying are true in your own life, remember: God will give you the strength to remain steadfast when you encourage others in Christ, not because you don’t struggle yourself, but because God’s Unchanging Truths are always changing us.

Hold Fast to Hope

If a friend called you right now asking for prayer and encouragement as she navigates a season of transition, what would you say to her? Write it down and consider sending this encouragement to a friend today.

Reflect on the Truth you wrote down and consider how it applies to your own life. Then consider: What wrong thoughts and actions do you have when you forget this Truth?