Some of the most profound movies are animations. Ones such as the Prince of Egypt which chronicles the life of the biblical person Joseph or others that have an undergirding message of a spiritual awareness not (necessarily presented as) biblically rooted, but still very much relevant – such as Avatar — are among the most obvious. The former presents an iconic presentation of triumph over tragedy made possible by the favor of Yah (God) on the life of a Joseph – touted as the king of dreams. The latter is about hybrid beings living on a planet so toxic that these beings must connect remotely with humans in order to function at their full capacity. It would be difficult to not be immersed in both the beauty of these films and the deep and thought provoking themes. Sometimes, however, there’s are gems that can be found among those that are not as arresting. Such is the case with the animated movie, Wall-E.

In one scene two people are sitting next to each other and communicating with one another by way of technology instead of simply interacting face to face. They’d gone through life this way, never noticing other people or the environment around them and having long forgotten what was both natural and needful – those things now being replaced with man-made comforts to both distract and anesthetize them. As we know, art imitates life, and this is exactly where we find ourselves in society: connected by way of the artificial and disconnected and affected (mentally, physically, and spiritually) from that which is best derived from human interaction: hands that touch the sick and heal through prayer; hands that cast out demons by the same; the endorphin’s that rush through your body when your presence is acknowledged with the eyes; the understanding that is discerned concerning the human condition of oppression or depression when those same eyes are spiritually aware to truly see.  But what are we to do when those around us are unwilling or unable to see that we are suffering? An answer can be found in Scripture.

The word tells us that the sword never left the home of King David for the deeds done to his servant – taking the wife and ultimately the life of Uriah. The word not returning void to the Creator, we find King David in a familial induced distress situation in 1 Samuel 30:6. The peoples praise has been replaced with condemnation and threats of stoning over the deeds of his children. The value of his circumstance to us today is in his response:

“But David encouraged himself in Yah his Elohim.”

The word for used for encouraged is chazaq (2388) it means:  to be or grow firm or strong, strengthen; (figurative) to take courage. (www.biblehub.com)

It is interesting to note that chazaq is the same expression used in 2 Chronicle 15:8 when Asa is recorded as having taken courage as evidenced by definite actions – he put away idols and renewed (repaired) his altar for Yah (God). An altar is a place of worship. It is a place of release and relief. It is where questions can be asked of Yah(God) and answers can be found. David, though void of encouragement from others, took courage – strengthened himself in this very way. It is most important to note that his response to his circumstances caused him to be victorious in the end even.

We are admonished to exhort each other daily (1 Thess. 5:11), but the busyness of life and the technology that has become a permanent part of it, often causes people to be in your presence but not aware and present with you in order to do that. We can often find ourselves alone in a room full of people who are looking at us but do not have eyes to see the pain reflected in our own or ears to hear the distress in our voices. If you find yourself in need of encouragement with no one to give it, remember that Yah is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). I exhort you today, while it is called today, to do as David did – remember to encourage yourself in Yah (God). He will meet you at your point of need. You only need to respond by first taking courage.