Ezra 7:28
So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.


I have always loved riding motorcycles but realize that they are pretty dangerous. I heard someone once say, “There are two types of motorcycle riders, the ones who have gone down and the ones who are going to go down.” This prompted me to ask every motorcycle rider I came across if this were so and I found out that unfortunately, this statistic rang true. So I put away my dreams of riding a Harley down the highway, considering that one day I might like to get into dirt bike riding…plenty of protective gear and no big cars and trucks around that can run you over. How exciting it was when the opportunity finally arrived! Ready to ride the hills and jumps and be like the guys I had seen on television. However, after the first turn, where I dumped the bike going about 2 mph, and then subsequent rides over those little dips I found myself after about 20 minutes completely out of breath thinking my dirt biking days had ended as quickly as they had begun. One of the most discouraging things to me…is when I am trying something new…and I don’t know how to do it. I want to at least perform at a level where I ‘look’ like I know what I am doing. I looked the part, with my helmet and boots and protective gear, I sat on the bike…looking like I knew what I was doing…but once I started riding, it became evident that I was a novice. Fortunately, the Christian brother who was with me was an encourager…he gave me a few tips here and there and before you knew it…I was riding like I wasn’t a complete novice…or so he told me. When are we the most encouraged? No doubt…it is when the hand of the Lord is upon us. And, when is the hand of the Lord upon us? Jesus said, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. The Lord is with us all of the time! So the only time we are discouraged is when we fail to stop long enough to realize this glorious truth…or we are walking in disobedience thereby bringing about ‘self inflicted discouragement’.

Father, thank you for your desire to encourage us constantly. Forgive us when we fail to receive that encouragement because we are more focused on us than on You. Holy Spirit, open our hearts to the truths of God’s hand upon us this week. Remind us daily that Jesus is with us that our hearts my be perpetually encouraged. In His name we pray…Amen!

Have a glorious week in Jesus as you ponder on the reality of His presence. I pray that you let nothing get in the way of the things the Lord wants to do to bring encouragement to your life. Never forget…His hand is always, always, always upon you!