PORTRAITS OF GOD: THE HELPER

“Behold, God is my helper...” (Ps.54:4a).

What fools we are to think that we can figure out our perplexities and fix our problems. Sooner or later we discover that no matter how smart we are, how much money we have, how talented we are—that you may as well stand in the path of a tornado and think you can throw a lasso around it and drag it into a hole—than to overcome the enormous troubles that arise.

I humbly admit my weakness and cry to God for help—and that is where my hope is found.  I am not sharp enough to know what to do or when I know what to do I am not strong enough to do it.

The wonderful news is that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and an ever present help in time of trouble!  Whatever you are facing today—no matter the magnitude of the problem, God is your Helper, and He is more than able!

GRACE THAT SUSTAINS US

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb.4:16)

Some of the verses of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” are not as well known as others. This would likely be the one most forgotten and omitted—and that ought not be!  Here is the stanza that you and I need to remember today.

The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.

If we start well, and stumble short of the finish line, then what good would the grace be that gets us out of the starting blocks in the race of life?  We must have the grace to sustain us to the end, and that is what John Newton was writing about and what the writer of Hebrews 4:16 has promised.

God is approachable. We find a throne room of grace.  We can come boldly for whatever need we have—a shield to defend us and a portion to feed us—never abandoned through all our day.  God’s grace will sustain us until our last breath—as long as life endures!

DESPERATE FOR GOD

Read Psalm 3

All of us at some point will find ourselves in a situation where we desperately need God.  Maybe you’re at that point today.  That’s why you’re reading this—hoping to find some help in your desperate state.  I have good news.  King David, writer of this psalm, found himself in such a spot (see superscription).  Can you imagine heartache so great as knowing that your own child is trying to kill you? Perhaps you’re in this desperate place because of bad choices—David was reaping what he had sown.  Or you’ve done nothing wrong in particular, but still you find yourself in a mess.  Whatever the cause, the truth remains, that you are desperate for God.

We can face DISTRESSING TROUBLE  (v.1-2)  This is a “psalm” of David.  For the first time the word “psalm” is used.  It comes from the Heb. Mizmor a term meaning to prune or cut away extraneous branches.  Have you ever spoken to someone beating around the bush, giving all sorts of unnecessary details and you say, “Cut to the chase!”  That’s what David did!  He got directly to the point.  There may be a time when turning a flowery phrase and rising to heights of oratorical splendor may be fine, but when a man is drowning he doesn’t say, “O great lifeguard who sits enthroned upon the beach chair, wouldst thou in an opportune season see fit to journey across the burning sands and plunge into these whitecaps, swimming against the current that you may bring me safely to shore, for I am perishing in this riptide.”  NO!  You’ll drown.  You cry, “Help!”

David does so because of the dimensions of the trouble (v.1)  David had always had his enemies.  Those who follow the Lord will always face fierce foes.  Jesus said that the servant isn’t greater than his master.  If they treated Him with hatred, how do we expect better treatment? But the sheer size of the opposition was overwhelming to the king whose crown had been taken by his own son.  I would remind you that the majority are not always right.  In fact, we most always are going to find the devil’s numbers much larger than our own.  Do not be desperate to have the world’s approval, but be desperate for God’s.  If you please God, you will often displease people.  You may not find yourself on a battlefield running for your life like David, but you will face battles from time to time—count on it.  I look at the prayer cards each week and I read the pleas of desperate people who are facing financial disaster, health concerns, family issues--the dimensions of the troubles is vast.  What do we do?  What David did—cry out to God!

If we do not gaze into God’s face with faith then we are going to succumb to the discouragement from the trouble (v.2)  The enemy of our souls will seek to undermine our faith with fear.  He will whisper, “Why, even God has forsaken you.”  In response, David writes, “Selah” for the first of 3 times in this psalm and many times in others.  It is a musical notation and Bible scholars don’t know what.  What we do know is that it had the thrust of causing the audience to stop and consider carefully what was said.  David says, “Stop for a moment.  Reflect.  Don’t judge anything by appearances alone.  Get God’s perspective.”

DISTRESSING TROUBLE can bring us to DETERMINED TRUST  (v.3-6)  He refuses to be overwhelmed by his trouble, but looks beyond it to God.  Are many against Him?  He knows that if God be for us who can be against us!  Does the accuser say that God has abandoned you?  He knows God will never leave us nor forsake us.

We find courage rooted in God's Person (v.3-4)  “But YOU” is emphatic.  In contrast to the fickleness of man, He rested in the faithfulness of God!  God is our protector “a shield” and promoter “my glory” and peace “who lifts up my head.”  David offered passionate, prevailing prayer “I cried to the Lord.”  It was the persistent pattern of his life.  He recalled the countless times God had heard him before.  In this same wilderness he had fled from Saul and been preserved.  The God who gave him the crown the first time, would restore it again.

We have confidence resting in God's provision (v.5-6)  Stressful days are often followed by sleepless nights.  But David didn’t have to reach for medication—he relied on meditation.  He didn’t count sheep, but contemplated the Shepherd and slept like a baby.  When he woke still alive he knew the Lord was watching over him and a new hope dawned.

So David moves from DISTRESSING TROUBLE to DETERMINED TRUST that yields DECISIVE TRIUMPH  (v.7-8)  We are more than conquerors!

Remember the source of triumph (v.7a, 8a)  This is the battle cry of Israel! Our champion is undefeated. “My God” is concerned about you!

Note the scope of triumph (v.7b, 8b)  Satan has had his teeth knocked out—the worst he can do is gum you!  When God blessed the leader the scope of blessing extends to the people.  So pray for them!

Salvation is of the Lord.  That is our greatest need.  If we can trust God with meeting that need--and He has through Jesus--can we not trust Him with lesser ones?

OUR KEEPER

The LORD is your keeper….  (Psalm 121:5)

God’s children are His special treasure.  He guards His gems.  Peter says we are, “kept by the power of God…” (1 Pet.1:5).  Recently, I saw a quote from Pastor John MacArthur that underscored this, “If you could lose your salvation, you would.”  God is our Keeper and that is good news!  It is also the theme of Psalm 121.

The Psalmist points to THE SOURCE OF HELP (v.1-2).  Look to Him.  When we look around us, we see nothing but problems.  When we look within us, we see nothing but inadequacy—or foolishly arrogant self-sufficiency.  When we look above us, we find a God mighty to save!  As the author would climb the hills to Jerusalem, at last on Mt. Zion, he would reach the Temple where dwelt the glory of God.  Surely the One who called into existence the universe by the sheer power of His spoken word can help us—no matter the seeming enormity of our need!

We can know THE STABILITY OF HEAVEN (v.3a).  Stand on Him.  There are many slippery paths.  There are stones aplenty to stumble over.  A fall can be disastrous.  Yet, our steps can be steadfast, for God steadies us.  He is the Rock—our firm foundation.

We are comforted by THE SLEEPLESSNESS OF YAHWEH (v.3b-4).  Rest in Him.  Why should I stay awake at night—tossing and turning with a mind filled with anxiety?  God stays awake, watching over me, so there is no point in both of us being up!  I think of a loving parent, rising in the darkness to look into an infant’s cradle, making sure the baby is alright.  That is what our Heavenly Father does for us.  “Now, I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord, my soul to keep.

We are given THE SHELTER OF GOD (v.5-6).  Run to Him.  The sun’s light need not scorch us by day.  The moon’s beams need not keep us awake by night.  He is the shelter we can find—twenty-four hours, through all the days of our life.  The sun and moon are symbolic for one day—and thus, we have all day protection.  The right hand is mentioned, representing human need.  God fills that empty hand with His provision.

We trust in THE SECURITY OF SALVATION (v.7-8).  Trust in Him.  No evil can destroy the child of God.  That does not mean we are exempt from pain—even our body may become sick and death can come.  True harm to the real you is not a threat, however, if you know Christ. Our soul will be preserved.  No power on earth or scheme of hell can touch the real man or woman we are—our redeemed soul—that dwells in this house of clay.  Actually, the body also will be ultimately preserved, raised in a glorified state in the resurrection.  When I leave home in the morning, God travels with me.  When I arrive home in the evening, He has been with me.  At last, at the end of life’s journey, God will usher me into eternity where I will abide in His presence forevermore!

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (1 Thess.5:23)

ESSENTIALS FOR ENJOYING LIFE

Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,

Whose hope is in the LORD his God….  (Psalm 146:5)

There is pleasure in sin—that makes it tempting!  Scripture acknowledges this.  It is just that the short-lived pleasures are not worth the long-term price.  The Devil tries to convince us that living for Jesus is the most boring life imaginable.  We are told that God is a Cosmic Killjoy and Jesus came to make our life miserable.  Heaven is one monotonous church service going on forever.  The truth is Jesus said, “I have come that [you] may have life, and that…more abundantly.” (John 10:10)  Admittedly, there is a cost to following Christ, but it is an investment with dividends that are out of this world!  Eternal life starts at salvation and is experienced here as well as hereafter!  It is quality of life, not just quantity of time.  The Psalmist shows the three essentials for enjoying life.

The first essential is HAPPINESS, “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help….  The source of true happiness is “the God of Jacob….”  Do you remember the story of the Prodigal Son?  That young man had a party for a while—squandering his inheritance in debauchery—but when the money ran out, so did his friends and lovers—and he found himself in a pigpen.  It was when he came back to his father that he found forgiveness, love, and a party to surpass all parties!  Thus, when the sinner comes to God, surrendering his or her will to His will that true happiness is found.  This is true, not only for those who have yet to come to Christ in salvation, but for God’s children who stray from His path.  They are the most miserable sinners—for they know there is a better life, and a loving Father chastens them, while the Holy Spirit convicts them. 

The second essential is HELP, “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help….  These words suggest human inadequacy.  The Holy Spirit has chosen to mention Jacob here.  Jacob is the poster child of human inadequacy striving for sufficiency.  He continually tried taking matters into his own hands.  The result was a big mess leading to bigger messes!  Jacob always had a scheme up his sleeve.  His motto was, “God helps those who help themselves.”  That is unbiblical—and a recipe for disaster!  Instead, what we need is to acknowledge our human inadequacy and cry out for heavenly intervention.  In the words of the Beatles, “Help!  I need somebody.  Help!  Not just anybody. … Won’t you please, please help me?”  That Somebody is God!  There came the darkest night of Jacob’s life, where he experienced the final defeat as he wrestled with God.  In desperation, clinging to the Lord, his life was transformed.  God helps the helpless.

The third essential is HOPE, “Whose hope is in the LORD his God….”  We can live without many things, but we cannot live without hope.  Apart from God, we are hopeless (Eph.2:12), but in Christ we can be born again “to a living hope” (1 Pet.1:3).  In the new birth, all things become new—our perspective on this life and the prospects of the life to come are glorious and increasingly so!  Paul wrote in Col.1:27 that it is, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  Even in the storms of life we do not sink for, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” (Heb.6:19).  Enjoy!