Why Do We Need Encouragement? (Part 2)

There are forces in our world that conspire together to erode away the joy of living. These forces can by subtle or they can be blatant, but they are nonetheless real and significant. In an unprecedented (in my lifetime at least) time of job loss, business shutdowns, and home foreclosures many people around us are hurting deeply. While we could list many other such forces that cry out for much needed encouragement, I will try to give you a few that one teacher identified, and you can come up with some others…

• Many People Are Lost- As a result, they lack the basic resources we have in Christ. There can be an a real emptiness in their lives because they don’t have the “internal spiritual support system” necessary to make it in a tough world.

• Many Saved People Are Negative- There are folks who could be well-described as “walking minus signs”. Perhaps through disappointment or hurt, or bitterness, they view life through a lens that is dark and pain-filled.

• Many People Only Want To Win- We see this during election campaign seasons and we see it in many other arenas of life. When people become committed to winning at all costs, someone will pay the price for it. It can have a draining and debilitating toll on those who are in their path.

• There Is A Toll Attached To Living In A Fallen World- The impact of original sin on our world has been to take the things of life and make them wearisome and hard. Sin’s destructive impact is still felt today in the hardships and struggles that can wear us down and wipe us out.

This was what the hymnwriter may have been thinking when he wrote the song, “In times like these, we need a Savior.” Because we do!

But, in times like these, we also need each other! How can we work to be the hands and feet of Christ in encouragement and care to others—particularly in these tough economic times?