When life deals us a lousy hand, and important relationships seem without hope, we need to reflect upon some of God’s promises and encouragement. As mentors, we have a host of fulfilled promises and events from God’s Word what can help encourage someone needing help.
To the prophet, Jeremiah, God said:
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
King Solomon, next to Christ the wisest man to ever live, gave us some parting thoughts to contemplate:
My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And my revenue than choice silver. I traverse the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice, That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, That I may fill their treasuries. (Proverbs 8:19-21)
Isaiah wrote during the stormy period marking the expansion of the Assyrian empire and the decline of Israel, warning Judah that her sin would bring captivity at the hands of Babylon. During the storms that we face, God’s Word is our comfort.
The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. (Isaiah 58:11)
And much like Elijah, David experienced the altering attitudes of a king, as King Saul, his friend and former encourage, turned against him. It was by experiencing the pain of rejection and despair that David wrote some of the most powerful and comforting Psalms:
The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:14-16)
The message from God’s Word is clear: we need not stand alone. Paul’s teaching tells us that we can overcome much when we recognize and accept that Christ is with us in all we do:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Taken from Building a Ministry of Spiritual Mentors, by Jim Grassi