Tag: my Helper
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!
Jesus: Worthy of Worship!
Scripture reading for October 30th: Hebrews 13
In this letter, the writer of Hebrews has done all he can to call the Hebrew Christians to continue confidently in their pursuit of Christ! The final words are very practical in light of the Great Shepherd of our souls who alone is worthy of our worship!
“Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”” (Hebrews 13:1-5) Jesus is always with us and promised to be with us always! (Matthew 28:20) In light of this, we must live a life of worship by obeying His commands and example. Jesus loved the world enough to die for them, even though all men were sinners. Jesus identified with the poor, needy and suffering, having compassion on them. Jesus forgave sin but called all to repentance. Without repentance, there is no forgiveness and God will judge sin. Money and possessions will not save us in the Day of Christ’s return!
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess His Name. And do not forget to do good and share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16) Living a life of worship and good deeds keeps us ready for the Great Shepherd when He comes again!