Awakened and Instructed

 By: Joanne Viola

Every day we encounter those who are in need of an encouraging word.

To be those who can give an encouraging word, we are going to need to be in the source of all encouragement.

“The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.”
(Isaiah 50:4, NIV)

To have God’s Word in our hearts means more than just being able to quote them or throw them around in response to people’s needs. There must be more in order for those words to be life giving.

Our words will often deliver encouragement to the downtrodden, instruction to the searching, an exhortation to the wayward, and yes, even advice to the confused. And most often this will all take place in the simple, everyday conversations.

And those life giving words come from God alone.

It is a divine equipping which enables us to know how to use our words compassionately to deliver a needed word. We need to have a knowledge of Scriptures, but it is God who will tell us when to speak, and what to say, so as to strengthen those around us.

There are many we meet each day who need a word to sustain them. They need to hear that which will support them, hold them, or lift them up from under the weight of their circumstances.

“We need to be awakened morning by morning, as duly as the day returns, to be awakened to do the work of the day in its day. Our case calls for continual fresh supplies of divine grace.”
(Matthew Henry)

A continual and fresh supply of needed words are received from God Himself as we spend time in His Word. It is He Himself who teaches us, who wakens our ear to hear from Him.

When we are awakened and instructed by God Himself,
it is then our words will sustain the weary.
for they will be His Words.

 

Reflection:
How do you maintain your daily devotional time?
What have you found helpful in keeping your routine?

 

Photo by Pascal Debrunner on Unsplash