Somewhere Over the Rainbow…

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death… well evidently somewhere is NOT here – NOT now! But yet, our hearts are there (over the rainbow), or at least our imagination is.

Where is your somewhere? Have you thought about it? And who is with you?Does your vision sustain your hope? When the shadow of death is all around you, and you are poked from all sides with death’s knives of destruction, does your faith in what comes after, calm your fears and fill you with courage and determination to keep on?

Some people think that is what an encourager is for… to give them reason and direction to carry on… to show them the yellow brick road so to speak! To do the dirty work of believing in a good outcome in the midst of the unbelievable.

To bring my wand, filled with magic dust words that will destroy the uglies and turn them into a wonderful piñata filled with all things sweet and beautiful, making everything happy, healthy and wonderful.

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 

Isn’t that what we all want? I know when I look into pain filled eyes begging me to HELP, knowing what I would want if it were me, I desperately PRAY for the “magic words” to turn all of it into just a terrible dream we will wake up from!

But then… Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked;

So what’s a good girl to do when she finds out her Glenda costume doesn’t work?

You do the only things an encourager can do…

Get the story straight… Genesis 3:1-4 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! It was Satan, NOT God, who fed us the poison and we believed because we were dazzled with the possibilities!

Dress for the occasion… Ephesians 6:16-17 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. I don’t bring my magic wand anymore. I bring the “stuff” that works! Weapons of enemy destruction!

Get ready to rumble… For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Way above our pay grade and abilities! As an encourager you already KNOW you need help. Who you gonna call?

Attend the party and stay for the clean up… Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 

We all have different versions… or wishes… of what help is in times of suffering! We would love to share the load but at some point we all find out that we must bear the majority of the weight our life dishes out. Some of it is manageable on our own but all of it takes its toll on our mind, body and soul.

Though I can’t as an encourager, “make it go away”… I can come alongside… I can fearlessly put my hand in yours… and I can walk it beside you!

I can identify with you… we are equal! We are equally vulnerable, equally needy… Romans 3:10-12 as it is written,“There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.”

But we are all equally loved… John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 

We look at the solution to all our problems as our “reward” for being faithful. That the only reason to believe in someone or something is if it or they fulfill the shallow wish of the moment… the accomplishment of all my plans… and the building of my castle where all my stuff fits and looks good. We believe in the genie in the bottle!

But… what happens after the wishes are granted and the bottle looks empty and useless… when there is no one left in the playground to play with us because we have used them up with all our MUST HAVES?

What happens? We begin to grow up!

In growing up we find out that there is no greater gift we can give or receive than a piece of someone’s heart. There is no greater piece than the piece freely given and joined with us… to live real life alongside each other, in real-time, as it really happens.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. That God IS… and that He, when asked and allowed to, will join me – in my life – as it happens – and share with me all that I am with all that He is!

This is our real reward… from our real Rewarder… our real help in times of trouble…

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 

As an encourager the best… and most… I can do is follow in His footsteps… stand at the door and knock… and if allowed… come in and dine!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible