Just to Encourage You
Shortly after Richard and Evelyn Forrest moved their school to Toccoa Falls, Georgia, Dr. A. B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and close friend of the Forrests, arrived in Toccoa for a visit. Up to this point, he had only heard about the progress of the school through personal correspondence. The first thing Richard did was take his friend and mentor to one of his favorite spots on the Toccoa Falls campus. As the two men walked up the wooded path that ran up and alongside the rocky face of Toccoa Falls, Dr. Simpson was engulfed with the breath-taking beauty of the gorge.
At the top of the falls, he stood speechless for a long time looking down at the water as it splashed into the pool nearly two hundred feet below. He suddenly turned and looked at Richard. “Brother Forrest, thank God for something for which you need not to apologize. This is wonderful!†Before he left, he handed Richard Forrest a gift—a thousand dollars of his own money. He smiled and said, “Just to encourage you. I believe you are on the right track and doing the right thing.â€
Encouragement changes everything, especially the godly encouragement of a friend. It lifts our hopes, provides the courage we need to keep going when we are tempted to give up, and points us in the right direction—toward the finish line. No doubt, God used A. B. Simpson’s words to cheer Evelyn and Richard Forrest on toward the goal He had set for them. Perhaps, you need encouragement today. Worries, doubts, and even fears are tempting you to give up. Don’t do it. God has called you and He has a plan for your life. It doesn’t matter if you are five or a hundred and five, He can and will do the impossible when you place your trust in Him.
(By Angela Ramage. Taken from the online devotional book Grace in The Wilderness © 2007 tfchistory.com)