Dear Reader,
My hope for the Reformed Herald is that it will encourage everyone who reads it. That encouragement, of course, can take more than one form, just as our tendency to discouragement can arise from multiple sources.
1. In news from the churches and reports from other ministries, there is encouragement to give thanks to God and pray for the needs that are present.
2. In articles about a passage or theme of Scripture there is the rich and varied encouragement presented by the word of God for every aspect of our Christian lives in this world. This can include at the very least encouragement to repent of our sins, to rest in God’s grace, to submit to His sovereignty, and to pursue lives of new obedience.
3. In articles about church history, there is the encouraging reminder that the Son of God in all ages has been gathering, defending, and preserving for Himself a chosen communion in the unity of the true faith (Heidelberg Catechism Q. 54).
4. In articles drawn from personal experience there are at least two encouragements:
a. The support of knowing that we are not alone. As Peter put it, “Resist [the devil] steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same experiences are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Peter 5:9). In the deep waters of trial it can be a help to remember that we are not unique in suffering.
b. The perspective that God’s grace has been apparent and sufficient to fellow-Christians, even when they have gone through very hard times.
In what I have said, hopefully it is apparent that encouragement does not mean pretending that everything is fine and there are no problems. Help with refusing to face facts does not deserve to be called true encouragement. Deep, Biblical encouragement puts our problems in the context of Christ’s loving sacrifice, God’s gracious purpose, and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
I hope that the narratives, meditations, and exhortations in this issue will be used by God to encourage every reader.
Rev. Ruben Zartman
Editor
