But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. 2 Corinthians 7:6 (NLT)
As I was driving down the road yesterday, I saw the most peculiar sight and had to do a double take. There were several shirtless men…pushing a car…down the road. It wasn’t odd the guys had their shirts off because it was blistering hot here. Also, cars break down, so occasionally we’ll see a car being pushed off the road. What amazed me was how they were walking that car like they were taking a dog for a walk. They apparently had a destination in mind, and it wasn’t the side of the road. Did they realize they just past a towing service?
I was thinking back to this rare scene last night and received a very strong message of encouragement. It didn’t come from being thankful for not having a vehicle break down on me, it came from seeing a vehicle that was broken down. It came during a time someone was in a valley, and if you’re in a valley, this is specifically for you! It’s easy to be encouraged when things are going right, but what about when things are going so wrong you’re not sure what to do next?
What you do is you keep going when you’re struggling. As those guys were “walking” the car down the road, they would keep watch and let the vehicles behind them know when it was safe to pass them, but they didn’t stop. They kept going! Just like them, we can’t stop when things get rough, even if people are passing us. Let them pass but keep going!
I was curled up last night thinking about those guys working together with the car. My guess was the owner felt pretty frustrated and discouraged when it broke down. The guys that helped could’ve simply waited for him to deal with the problem. Even though it was around 90 degrees with high humidity, they showed their support. How encouraging for the guy to know that he wasn’t alone. I imagine it will be something they’ll look back on and say, “Remember when…”
Thinking back to how this could’ve played out gave me goose bumps! I feel the driver’s heart sinking as one more thing goes wrong. The car’s dead in the middle of a busy road. He’s low on money…or gas…could’ve ran out of gas…which could’ve been because lack of money. (See how I start coming up with all these scenarios?) He’s feeling like everything he does goes wrong. Cars are starting to back up behind him, and he’s wondering why he’s even trying.
He jumps out of the car just to stop the blaring horns behind him. He figures he’ll just get out of the way and give up. He starts pushing the car while trying to steer. Then, completely out of the blue, there’s a guy that jogs up to him and lends a hand while encouraging him by saying, “Don’t worry. You got this. I’m with you.”
Before he knows it, a second guy is behind the first telling him, “Don’t worry. You got this. I’m with you.”
From behind him comes a third guy saying, “Don’t worry. You got this. I’m with you.”
All he could hear was the encouraging chant, “Don’t worry. You got this. We’re with you.” The insurmountable issues he was facing suddenly seemed manageable with the encouragement he found.
You see, my family struggled through the day yesterday. It was ROUGH, and both my boys, and me too, were feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, and in a valley. Each of us struggled to understand the other. We might as well have been speaking different languages! I certainly want my boys, in their discouragement, to hear me saying, “Don’t worry. You got this. I’m with you.” Their dad telling them, “Don’t worry. You got this. I’m with you.” And their brother saying, “Don’t worry. You got this. I’m with you.” However, I know they aren’t always going to hear us chanting, “Don’t worry. You got this. We’re with you.”
We’re only human, and there’s going to be times when we disappoint them or aren’t around. While I hope we spend their lives going alongside them and cheering them on, I also know they need more. We all need more in those lonely days of discouragement. This was shown in a message I just heard from Pastor Groeschel as he was talking about 2 Corinthians 7:6 and how our God is the God of encouragement.
This is what I want my boys to remember, this is what I want to remember, and this is what I want you to remember. When you feel like you are in the lowest valley and you’re all alone, not hearing another voice of encouragement, drown out that beeping behind you to hear the most encouraging, strongest voices there are. Listen! Do you hear? The Holy Spirit starts speaking inside you, “Don’t worry. You got this. I’m with you.”
Jesus is walking beside you saying, “Don’t worry. You got this. I’m with you.”
God’s booming voice from above is telling you, “Don’t worry. You got this. I’m with you.”
Three in one will drown out all other voices, along with His angels surrounding you, saying, “Don’t worry. You got this. We’re with you.” How loud and beautiful this chant will be! Although, God will often send you a word or a person to encourage you, you’ll never have to wait on them when you have a God that is an encourager.
Please know how true these short phrases are:
Don’t worry. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
You got this. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
I’m with you. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
Remember too…For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Psalm 91:11-12 With the crowd you have around you, stay encouraged!
Notice how our phrases begin. They aren’t DIY-do it yourself, they’re DYI-depend on your Immanuel. Immanuel literally means God with us. God is ALWAYS with you, so Don’t worry. You got this. Immanuel’s with you!
