A couple years ago, I was in a tough season of struggling to believe that God is who He says He is in Scripture. Was He really the loving, compassionate, and slow to anger God that He describes Himself to be in Exodus 34:6? And if He was, why wasn’t He showing me His love by answering “yes” to a prayer I had prayed for years on end?
In the midst of my struggle to believe God’s Word to be true, I knew I had to have His Word in front of my eyes daily to be reminded of who He is–the kind and loving God He had already proved to be in my life. I gathered up some notecards, wrote down Scripture about His character, and taped them on the wall next to where I did my quiet time every morning. In a world of constant distractions, I needed God’s Word to be the first thing I saw at the start of each day.
Singing Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God.” While the Lord has always given me a heart and desire for “singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” through praise and worship, reading Scripture was a muscle I knew I needed to strengthen.
Which part of Colossians 3:16 is a strength of yours? Does the word of Christ dwell in you richly? Do you have the gift of teaching and admonishing others with godly wisdom? Do you sing to the Lord through praise and worship? Do you have thankfulness in your heart to God?
Teaching and Exhorting One Another
Obviously we should desire to encompass all the parts of that verse, but in certain seasons some parts may be easier than others. In the middle of Colossians 3:16 it says, “teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom,” which points to the importance of surrounding yourself with a community of believers.
When you find yourself in a season where it’s hard to believe Scripture and who God says He is, we need people we trust around us to remind us of the Truth. While the teaching piece of that Scripture means to help recall Scripture to a believer in Jesus, exhorting means to lovingly warn and counsel a believer when they believe something wrongly and/or have entered into sin. If you find yourself in a season where you don’t believe the Word of God, it is not only right for a fellow believer to exhort you and show you where you have incorrect thinking and theology, it is loving.
Who do you have in your life to help teach and admonish you in all wisdom (Scripture)? Is it a family member? A church member? A close friend? Your spouse? Whoever it is, community is so important.
It was a best friend of mine who the Lord used to bring me out of a dark season where I was believing a lie that God did not love or care about me and my desires. She reminded me of Scripture and recalled multiple ways the Lord had over and over shown His love for me in my life. If you don’t have someone like that in your life, I would lovingly encourage you to start asking the Lord to bring someone into your life to come alongside you to encourage you.
Through my friend and the true loving kindness of the Lord, I can confidently say that singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is ever-present in my life as I daily seek Him and His Word. My heart overflows in thankfulness towards Him. I pray you feel the same way towards our God who loves you more than you could ever fathom.
