For the last few weeks, the big news has been about the abduction of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy. There have been very few leads in the case, and nothing has proven beneficial or positive; yet, I can’t help but wonder why the family remains so optimistic.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings keep posting encouraging and hopeful videos to hopefully motivate the kidnappers to do the right thing and let their mother go. Personally, it has been hard for me to watch the family’s desperate pleas for help and their mother’s return.
I respect and admire Savannah Guthrie’s faith and optimism over pessimism and fear; it tells me a lot about her character:
- Hopeful
- Kindness
- Persistent
The tragedy has reminded me, and others, of the harsh truth: God’s people aren’t promised an easy life without sorrow or setbacks in this life (Job 5:7, 1 Peter 4:12-13). Too many believers have bought the lie of a fluff and stuff faith that costs us nothing.
They want more sugar in their lives than they do life-changing and preserving salt. These apostates want only a fun and positive experience that is no different from the rest of this self-centered, fallen kingdom we live in now. The Bible gives us hope and encouragement in the hard times of life, not a risk-free guarantee of happiness as many false teachers teach (Psalm 34:17-18, Hebrews 13:5-6).
What Is Encourage
Let’s be honest, there are many types of encouragement in life, and no, they don’t always feel good or make us happy. Sometimes, like salt in an open wound, it hurts before it brings healing and growth.
Encourage is defined as “To inspire with courage, spirit, or hope: stimulate”. We can be encouraged in many ways: emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Sometimes we are encouraged through hardships and even a hard, loving rebuke.
Although it may not feel good at the time, harsh rebukes work for our good in the long run (Proverbs 3:11-12). That is why the Bible has a lot to say about encouraging others (Acts 15:22, Hebrews 10:24-25).
The hope and encouragement for God’s people doesn’t come from this fallen world, nor does it look or feel like it (Psalm 33:20-22, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, Hebrews 11:1).
God set His people apart from this world to be different, and we find hope in a different way and place (John 15:19, Romans 12:2, 1 Peter 2:9).
Mature believers understand the need to be corrected and disciplined by God (1 Corinthians 11:32, 2 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 12:5-11, Revelation 3:19). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about the need for God’s encouragement and how it sets us apart from this fallen world.
Ḥāzaq
The Torah begins with God speaking everything into creation and calling it good (Genesis 1:1-2:3), that is, at least until sin entered creation because of mankind’s sin.
Each time mankind sinned, God encouraged him to do better (Genesis 3:15-19; 4:6-7; 6:5-8; 9:1-3). The more mankind sinned, the firmer God became in His encouragement.
The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for encourage is ḥāzaq, and it can also mean, “Strong, repair, strengthen, grow firm, or prevail,” depending upon the context it is used in.
God used loving correction to encourage His creation to change their selfish ways. His Godly encouragement continued with His people, Israel, when they faced many hardships and needed God’s loving encouragement or correction over the centuries (Deuteronomy 8:5, Joshua 1:9, 2 Kings 17:13-14, Isaiah 40:1-2; 41:10, Malachi 3:7)
That is why Judaism emphasizes encouraging others through actions and support (Leviticus 19:18, Isaiah 41:6, Micah 6:8):
- Love and compassion
- Supporting others
- Validating others
- Celebrating success
- Correction and discipline
- Humility and exultation
By the time the Messiah, Jesus, arrived, Israel was once again being oppressed by another nation. Jesus began His earthly ministry by encouraging His followers who were hurting (Matthew 5:1-48).
He validated and comforted the least of these and the foreigners around Him (Matthew 25:35-40, Mark 7:24-30, Luke 17:11-19, John 4:7-26). Our Lord flipped the script on what it means to be great in His Kingdom (Matthew 18:1-4; 19:14, Luke 9:46-48).
Our Rabbi constantly rebuked the religious leaders of His day and even His own Disciples to get them to do what is right by God’s standards (Matthew 20:25, 23:13-36, Luke 10:40-42, 11:37-42).
Jesse Jackson
In other breaking news this week, the nation lost a civil rights pioneer who stood up for truth and those of color. Sadly, Jesse Jackson had to step out of the public eye due to his failing health before he died this week.
When I was younger, I remember listening to Jesse Jackson talk about civil rights, human dignity, and God. Although he wasn’t perfect, he was brave enough to stand up for what he believed in and often corrected those in leadership and even many within the church.
He was a civil rights icon because he inspired and encouraged people of color to fight for their God-given and American-guaranteed rights. He didn’t just encourage God’s people; he corrected them and called them to love others and champion unity beyond skin color and political line; Jessie Jackson understood that encouragement doesn’t always feel good or make us comfortable, but God uses it for our good (Romans 8:28):
- Pruning
- Correction
- Nurturing
- Strengthening
Unfortunately, many conservatives don’t understand this because they are so focused on temporary happiness and earthly greatness, instead of God’s ways and His kingdom.
God’s people are called to focus on God’s kingdom, not this temporary fallen kingdom. I honestly believe God will discipline America because of our lack of love for the least of these and the foreigners among us.
God loves us too much to let us follow the idols and the ways of this fallen world; that is why He continues to ḥāzaq (Exodus 20:3-6, 1 John 5:20)!
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