Scripture recounts a time in which "David encouraged himself in the LORD his God" (I Sam. 30:6).
Scripture also recognizes that there are times wherein the quest for encouragement requires resources beyond that of ourselves. At such times God often provides others as means to renewing our courage and faith. From his own experience Paul well knew the reality.
Following years of stress, persecution, indeed "the loss of all things" for Christ's sake (Phil. 3:8), Paul was now bound for Rome as a prisoner scheduled to stand trial for his life. Luke notes that "the brethren, when they heard about us, came from as far as the Market of Appius and the Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage (Acts 18:15).
Again, at a time of anxiety concerning the church at Corinth, the apostle subsequently wrote, "I was under all kinds of stress...quarrels with others and fears within myself. But God, who gives heart to those who are low in spirit, gave me strength with the arrival of Titus. This he did, not only by his arrival but by the reinforcement he had already received from you" (II Cor. 7:5-7 NAB).
The point is driven home in an even greater way within the life of our Lord. While mention is often made of Christ's humanity in terms of his experiencing thirst (e.g., John 4:7); hunger (e.g., Matt. 21:18); emotional response (e.g., John 11:35); frustration (e.g., Mark 3:5); etc., we have, for some strange reason, frequently missed the fact of Christ's human dependence upon the Twelve, particularly in his our of supreme test. His repeated requests in Gethsemane for their support in prayer and concern extended beyond the fact that Peter might otherwise find himself vulnerable (Matt. 26:41). Indeed, Christ acknowledged this aspect of their relationship at the Last Supper: "You are those who have stood by me in my trials" (Luke 22:28).
The point is this: We need one another.Not only so, but as time progresses toward "that day" the need will intensify.
"If one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. And a cord of three strands is not easily broken" (Eccl. 4:12).
Burl Ratzsch
