Encouragement is something we all need more than we realize, and at certain times in life we need it more desperately than other times. When we take on a new task or responsibility, we need encouragement to fight our fears and insecurities. At times, we may be weary of a tough situation, and we need daily encouragement to get us through it. Encouragement gives us the extra push to move forward and helps us not to stay stuck.
God uses the Holy spirit, His word, and His people to encourage us. He also trains our minds, and emotions to learn to encourage ourselves when there is no one to help us out.
According to Strong’s Concordance, to encourage means (Hebrew H2388): to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute…
And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, ‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the Lord.’ The Lord was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. Deuteronomy 1:34-38
God was angry with the Israelites for their unbelief and rebellion against Him. He was also angry with Moses for misrepresenting Him before His people for striking the rock to provide water to the Israelites (See Numbers 20:10-12). Consequently, God told Moses to encourage Joshua for he was going to lead the nation of Israel to inherit the Promised Land.
This could have been painful for Moses. Not only he was denied entrance to the Promised Land, but he was also directed by the Lord to encourage Joshua for taking on the task of leading God’s people to the Promised Land. Moses had to humbly sacrifice his own desires to lift up Joshua and encourage him for the task that Moses had hoped to do all those years.
As for Joshua, he must have been completely blessed and honored by Moses’ encouragement. God allowed Joshua to have Moses’ encouragement before he died. Joshua would have to lead the people alone when he no longer had the voice of his mentor in his life. God prepared Joshua for success in his new task by helping him to be strong and courageous. The plan of deliverance was not about Moses or Joshua, but it was about God’s plan and purpose being fulfilled in the lives of the Israelites.
God uses us to be a source of encouragement to others, and He uses others to be a source of encouragement to us. Encouragement is not flattery and is not meant to used to gain the favor of others. This is about partnering with the Lord to strengthen those who need to push forward in God’s purpose. Do you have words of life and encouragement for those around you? If you were Moses, would you be able to encourage the Joshua in your life?
God uses every one of us to provide someone with that extra dose of strength and courage in difficult and uncertain times. This week, let’s be sensitive to the Holy Spirit for those who need our encouragement.
