The Lord is Our Helper

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Scripture: Psalm 118:13 (NIV)

13 I was pushed back and about to fall,

but the Lord helped me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my defense;

he has become my salvation.

 

Devotion:

            The psalmist here declares that even though enemies were about to triumph over him that the Lord came to his defense. So, we may know that no matter what kind of trial we may be going through today the Lord is there to help us. The Apostle Paul writes of similar circumstances in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 (ESV) “8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”

            Paul’s message is the same as the psalmist. It shows that Paul faced dire circumstances in his life and ministry, however, he was confident that the Lord Jesus would always be there to rescue him from his troubles. We can only wish for the confidence of Paul in our daily life. Indeed, let us pray for that kind of confidence frequently.

            It is all too easy to fall into despair when we face opposition because of the word. When the world hurls insults and falsehoods at us, we are easily discouraged in our walk with the Lord. We then can take heart in these situations because we know that God will be with us just as God was with the psalmist and Paul.

            In fact, the scripture is full of examples of God being with his people. Just the book of Daniel for example has the fiery furnace and a den of lions both overcome by the direct intervention of God. God’s intervention and helping of believers is in fact one of the great themes of the Bible. From the Garden of Eden in Genesis to the new heavens and the new earth in the book of Revelation, God is constantly looking out for his people. God is faithful to deliver humankind even when we have gone astray.

            As Paul states in 2 Corinthians above, God rescues us to show forth God’s own glory. As Paul says he is always carrying about the death of Jesus that the life of Jesus may show forth to God’s praise and glory. In like fashion then, we can suffer through whatever our trouble is at the present moment with the assurance that God will not let us be crushed by it. Indeed, even if our trial were to result in our death even then we would still have the victory in Jesus’ resurrection power. So, let us then praise God for his constant watchful care over us his people.

Prayer:

            We praise you this day O Lord. You always see us and know our trials and temptations. You will always watch over us as shepherd watches over the flock by day and night. You support and strengthen us each day for the obstacles ahead. You walk with us through our pain and suffering. We know that you only seek to make us into more perfect creations and that is why we should rejoice in our suffering. Thank you, Lord, for loving us enough to carry us through whatever each day brings. Amen

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