A Word of Blessing

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. (Psalm 20:4-5) 
 
I can’t forget the moment when I opened a short, encouraging card from a friend of mine and read this verse out loud. Apparently, he knew I needed the encouragement and blessing this verse would supply. You see, I had just begun to pastor a new church and I was beginning my first day on the job. His letter was the first one I received. He probably does not remember sending me that letter, but his needed encouragement is still fresh in my memory. What a word of blessing! 
 
When David wrote this Psalm, he probably had no idea that one day his divinely inspired words would take root within my heart. There is just something magnificent about a fitting word, which is used to encourage a fellow pilgrim. Praying that God would give a friend the desires of his heart is a big prayer. On top of that, choosing to celebrate a friend’s victory rather than being jealous of their success is a rare thing in this culture of competition. God wants us to act just like this for our friends. 
 
Who are you encouraging today? Your children? Your friends? Your co-workers? Do they know you are on their side and their biggest cheerleader? If you feel that, have you blessed them by letting them know, either by a note, an e-mail, or a text message, that you are in their corner?  
 
If you are struggling with this concept today, ask God why you are feeling that their blessing means that you have been short-changed. The Lord has not run out of blessings, not even close! Instead, maybe He is waiting for you to become a “blesser” before you become a “blessee.” After you pray for someone’s success, take another step and let them know personally. How about doing that today?
Posted in
Posted in , ,

2 Comments


Betty Jane Laughlin - January 18th, 2024 at 8:43am

My friends and I do that all the time. There is always someone else who needs a word of encouragement. It does make a person feel good

James W. Howell - January 18th, 2024 at 12:47pm

Praise God for All His Grave and Mercy

Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags

Kingdom abandoned abandoning abandon ability abondoned acceptable acceptance accepted accepting accept accomplishment accomplish accordance accountable acknowledge actions activity addiction admitting admit adoration advancing advice affection affirmation afraid aligned aligning align alive allowedd allowed allowing allow almighty altered amazing amount anxiety anxious appeared appearing apply approaching approach argument arrogant assurance assures assure attend attention attentive attitude audience authority banished baptized beaituful behaviors behavior beieve beliefs belief believed believeibng believerrs believers believer believes believe believing belong benefits biblical blend blessed blesses blessings blessing bless blossomed bond brokenhearted burdens burden burial buried capable careful cares care caring carving celebrate challenges chance change changing charges charge churches church claiming clarity climate combat comfortable comforting comfort commanded commandment commands command commitment committed communicate communicating communion community companionship companion compared comparing comparisons compassion competition complete complicated compliment comprehend compromised compromise concerned concerning concerns concern confessed confess confidence confident conflicts conflict confrontation confronting confused confusion connected connection connect consider consistent contact contentment content context contradict control conversation convicting conviction convict convinced convince corrected correcting courageous cover created create creation critical crucial crucified crucifixation crucify culture cure curiosity customers daily death decided decide declaration dedicated defend deflection deliberate delivers denomination denying departure depression describe description deserved deserves deserve desie designed desired desires desire desiring desrtuction destiny determine devastated develop devotional devotion dictates dictate difference different difficult directing direction directly direct disappeared disappoint disciples disciple disconenct discouraged discovered discover discuss display disruptions distance dividend educated education effort eliminated embrace embracing emotional emotions emotion emplower employer empower encoraged encounter encouraged encouragement encouragers encourages encourage encouraging encouragment endured endure energy engaged engagement engage engaging enjoyed enjoys enjoy enouragements enslaved ensure equation equip eternal eternity ethical evaluate everlasting evil example excited excitement exciting excluded expand expectations expectation expected experiences expression express extended faithfully faithfulness faithful faith family famous favor fearful fear feelings feeling fellowship finisher finish fire focused focusing focus followed followers follower following follow fooled forgave forgiveness forgiven forgive forgiving fortunate forward foundation founders freedom free freidnships fresh friendship friends fulfilled fulfillment fullness future gathering gave generation generosity generous genuine gifts gift given givers giver give giving glady glad glimpse glorfiy glorified glorify glorious glory godly goodness gospel goverment grace gracious grateful gratitude grave gravity grieve grope growing growth grow guidance guided guides guiding guilty guilt handling happiness happy hardship healed healing health heal hearing heartbreak hearts heart heaven help hesitate holy honest honorably honored honoring honors honor hoped hopefulness hopeful hopeless hopes hope hoping horror humanity humbly identified identify identity ignited ignorant ignore imagine immature impacted impactful impact impatient importance important including inevitable influence information inherent innocent inspiration inspired inspires instance instant intended intensity intentional intentions interceding interesting interest interpretations intimately intimate intrude investment invitation invite itimacy journey joyful joy justifying knowing knowledge known laborers labor leadership leaders leader leading lead leaning learning learn legacy lonely longing lordship loved loves love loving manipulate marriage married mature mediator meditate meditation membership members memeber memorable memory merciful mercy message mindful minds minister ministry miracles miracle miraculous missing mission moment motive moun notice nourished nourishment obedience obedient obey obligation observer observe offering operate opinions opportunities opportunity oppressed outcome overcome overcoming overpowered overpower overwhelmed overwhelming ownership painful parenting partnership passage passing passion pastors patient peace peae perception perfectly perfect perform perishing perish persecuted perseverance personally personal perspective plan pleasing political pondering positioned position possibility powerful power praised praises praiseworthy praise praising prayed prayerful prayers prayer praying pray preached preachers preacher preaching preach prepared prepare presence present pressure prevent pride primary principle probelm problem process proclaim produce productive promised promises promise promote prosperous prosper protecting protection protect proud proved prove provides provide providing provision purify purity purposes purpose pursuing raises raise realized realize realizing reassured rebelling rebellion receive recieved recover recuperation redeems redeem redemption redemptive referring reflection refuse reignite rejected relationships relationship religion religious remedy remember remembrance reminds renewal repeated repentance repent represent resisted resisting resist resolution respect responsibility rest resurrection retreat return reveals righteous ritual royalty running sacrifice safest safe salvation satisfied satisfies satisfy saved save saving scriptual scripture secured security seeking seek selfish sensitive seperated seperate seperation sermon servants servant served server serve service serving shame shaping share sharing showed significance silence silent sinful sinless sinners sinner sin solve soul speaking speak spiraling spirirt spiritually spiritual spirit spread srve stability standards standing strengthen strength stressed stressful stress strong struggles struggle struggling submit substain successful success suffering supply supported supportive support surrendered surrender surrounding surround survived talents teachable teachers teaches teachings teach tears temptation tempted testify thoughtful thoughts through thrown together tolerance tradition translation treat trouble troubling true truly trusted trusting trustworthy trust truth trutyh unbelievers uncomfortable understand unshamed utilize validation valuable values value verbally victory violated vulnerable waiting wants watchful willingly willing wisdom wise witnessed witness wonderful wondering wonder worried worrying worry worshipping worship worthy wrath