Tag: Hebrews 13:5-6
Arise, O Lord!
Scripture reading for August 28: Psalm 10:12, 17-18 “Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand; forget not the afflicted. . . .O Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; You will strengthen their heart; You will incline Your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that the man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”
Hebrews 13:5-6 “. . .for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
The psalmist in Psalm 10 struggles with thinking that the Lord is far away from him in his time of trouble. He questions ‘why’ he feels isolated from God. It appears that the wicked are prospering even though they forget God and even curse Him. They break His laws with impunity thinking in their hearts that God doesn’t see or care what they do. This is often the mindset of those suffering from sickness, disease, or oppression in its various tormenting forms. Their feelings are based on their visual observations and experience in the world and this leads to despair.
But God tells us to call out to Him in our afflictions. “Arise, O Lord” is the cry of the believer who trusts in God. They ask God to take notice and take action on their behalf. They confess in faith that God will not forget them as He has said that He would never leave us or forsake us. If God has promised, then that is the reality that the believer acts on. They don’t rely on their feelings or what the circumstances tell them through their natural senses. They trust God’s Word and His eternal power and ability to act on their behalf. They choose not to fear man or their enemy that is attacking them or sickness or disease. They confidently state; “I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Because they believe by faith that God hears and will act, they rest in Him Alone.
Prayer: Father God, thank You that in Your Son Jesus Christ, You arose and lifted up the Man of Your Right Hand. He bore all of our afflictions and oppression in His body on the cross that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. We confidently confess: “The Lord is my Helper!” Amen!
Hush money!
Scripture reading for August 5th: Matthew 28
Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:10-15 “Then Jesus said to them(the women), “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.”
Jesus personally appeared first to the women who had gone to the tomb in hopes of anointing His body. They were surprised by an earthquake and an angelic messenger who rolled back the stone revealing the empty tomb. The guards were immobilized temporarily. The angel encouraged them with the good news that Jesus was not there, but had risen! They were not to be afraid but to convey the news to Jesus’ disciples. The guards recovered and went and reported that Jesus’ body was missing. I am not sure how they explained the earthquake and angelic visitor and their supernatural immobilization. The elders and chief priests cooked up a plan involving ‘hush money’ for the soldiers and a way to explain this to other authorities. The world uses money to solve many problems because people love it. The blame was to be put on the disciples for stealing Jesus’ body. All agreed and the plan was circulated and became well-accepted among the Jews and authorities. However, Jesus was alive and began appearing to His followers! He had a plan that they would soon enact that would reach the world!
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
Faith confession and prayer: Father, thank You for overcoming death, hell and the grave and proving Your resurrection by appearing to the women and Your disciples. I believe You are God’s Son, crucified and raised from death on the third day. I offer myself to You to fulfil Your great plan of reaching the whole world with Good News. Hallelujah! I am never alone and You meet all my needs!
Hebrews 13:5-6 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”(Joshua 1:5) So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6)