經過連續幾週的複診，隨之而來卻是讓人灰心沮喪的醫療報告，我癱倒在沙發上，腦中一片空白，不想和任何人說話，甚至無法祈禱。當我打開電視時，心中仍因種種的失望和懷疑而感到沮喪。但不久，我看到了一個廣告，有個小女孩對她弟弟說：「你一定可以辦到的，你是冠軍，你是最棒的，加油！」當女孩繼續肯定小男孩時，小男孩逐漸展開笑顏，而我也是如此。

上帝的子民經常會陷入灰心和懷疑。希伯來書的作者明確地指出，我們可以透過聖靈聽到上帝的聲音，並引用詩篇95篇警告信耶穌的人，要避免以色列人在曠野漂流時所犯的錯誤（希伯來書3章7-11節）。他寫道：「弟兄們，你們要謹慎，免得你們中間或有人存著不信的惡心，把永生上帝離棄了。總要……天天彼此相勸。」（12-13節）

有基督成為我們生命中的盼望，你我就能體驗到繼續堅持下去所需的動力，也就是在信徒團契中的互相鼓勵和勸勉（13節）。在一個信徒心存疑惑時，其他的信徒可以給予肯定和扶持。有上帝堅固我們這些屬祂的子民，我們便可以彼此勸勉，互相扶持。

After another week of being beaten down by more medical setbacks, I slumped onto the sofa. I didn’t want to think about anything. I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I couldn’t even pray. Discouragement and doubt weighed me down as I turned on the television. I began watching a commercial showing a little girl talking to her younger brother. “You’re a champion,” she said. As she continued affirming him, his grin grew. So did mine.

God’s people have always struggled with discouragement and doubt. Quoting Psalm 95, which affirms that God’s voice can be heard through the Holy Spirit, the writer of Hebrews warned believers in Jesus to avoid the mistakes made by the Israelites while wandering in the wilderness (Hebrews 3:7–11). “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God,” he wrote. “But encourage one another daily” (vv. 12–13).

With our lifeline of hope secured in Christ, we can experience the power-packed fuel we need to persevere: mutual encouragement within the fellowship of believers (v. 13). When one believer doubts, other believers can offer affirmation and accountability. As God strengthens us, His people, we can offer the power of mutual encouragement to one another.