Day 17: The Quiet Purpose of Encouragement
Scripture: Acts 11:25-26
“Then Barnabas went out to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they were gathered together with the assembly, and taught many people. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
Barnabas’ name means “son of encouragement,” and he lived up to it. He wasn’t the most famous apostle or the loudest preacher, but he had a gift: seeing the potential in others and helping them step into it.
When others were suspicious of Saul’s conversion, Barnabas believed in him. In Acts 9, Barnabas took Saul to the disciples and proclaimed what God had done in Saul’s life. When the new church in Antioch needed guidance, Barnabas saw the need and brought Saul into the work. His encouragement helped launch Paul’s ministry—impacting the course of church history.
Encouraging others might seem like a small thing, but in God’s economy, it changes destinies. You may not see yourself as a leader, but you can be a lifter—someone who strengthens the weary, believes in the overlooked, and stands beside the discouraged until they can stand on their own.
When you lift someone up you benefit as well. The joy and strength you feel from God and share with others doesn’t leave you. When you give someone the gift of encouragement and support, the gift grows larger for you both.
Purpose isn’t always public. Sometimes it’s quietly cheering someone into their calling.
Centering Prayer
Lord,
Help me see the potential in others the way You see it.
Make me an encourager whose words and actions breathe life into weary hearts. Amen.
Practice for Today
Identify one person who might be doubting themselves right now.
Speak encouragement into their life—specifically and sincerely.
Journaling Prompt
Who encouraged me when I needed it most?
How can I carry that gift forward into someone else’s story?
Closing Blessing
Be the voice that lifts.
Be the hand that steadies.
Stand beside the weary until they find their strength again.
Let the strength and purpose on God can give flow to those who need it.
Your encouragement today could launch a purpose that echoes for generations.
Pray as You Go
Breath in: Your strength flows to me…
Breath out: …and I encourage others.