Encouragement

II Chronicles 15:1–7

“The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

Good work is acknowledged; King Asa not only receives a timely reminder but also a recognition of his leadership by the LORD that came with an encouragement never to give up (v. 7). A couple of things help us in keeping our stand, pursuing, and attaining success in following Christ, one is our daily prayer and communication with God and the other is seeking His wise counsel in His Word. The LORD affirmed Joshua, “Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do. Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:7–9).” Friends, the LORD our God is with us wherever we go, He promised to be with us “always” and “to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20), may we find encouragement to remain in Him and to do great work, savour His blessings, and enjoy His presence with us today and everyday!