November 5, 2024

Help

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Lord, I seek refuge in You;
let me never be disgraced.
Save me by Your righteousness.
Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mountain fortress to save me.
For You are my rock and my fortress;
You lead and guide me
because of Your name.
You will free me from the net
that is secretly set for me,
for You are my refuge.
Into Your hand I entrust my spirit;
You redeem me, Lord, God of truth.
Psalms 31:1-5

In reading this passage I was captivated by David’s personal, confident prayer of faith.  Faith and prayer go together hand-in-glove.  Charles Spurgeon wrote:

“Faith is the foundation of prayer. Faith gives to men on earth the protection of heaven.”

David cries out for help.  He has great faith in God.  In Psalm 18:2 (AMP) he confidently asserts that God alone is His protection.

The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer;
my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge,
my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower.

David was wise to recognize his weaknesses.  As Chuck Smith states: “Wisdom is knowing your weakness.” I would add that wisdom is also knowing where to turn for help.  In Proverbs 30:26 the hyraxes (or conies) are considered wise because they realize they are small and weak then seek shelter in the rocks.  In 2 Samuel 22:2, 7 (HCSB) David cried out to his Rock, his Fortress to be rescued.  He said:

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
I called to the Lord in my distress; I called to my God.
From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help reached His ears.

I searched for definitions of “rock”:

  1. noun – shield, defense, fortress, refuge, stronghold
  2. adjective – immovable, impenetrable, secure

I want to be like David—

  • I want to recognize that I am weak and open to attacks from the enemy.
  • I cannot provide shelter or a refuge for myself.
  • I owe my safety entirely to God.
  • I want to take refuge behind the immovable, impenetrable shield of my Rock and my Redeemer.

He has sheltered me before…is defending me even now…and will continue to keep me securely in His grasp.  With faith-filled anticipation, we pray; and in faithfulness, He answers.

“Faith establishes a claim to have it’s anticipations made good”
– Pulpit Commentary

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Lord, we are so very thankful and grateful that we can seek refuge in You, our Rock and our Fortress, knowing we will be protected and secure as we stand behind the rock solid walls of Your promises.  Thank You for hearing our cries for help.  Let us always be mindful to seek shelter in Your stronghold and nowhere else.  In your Mighty and Holy name we pray, Amen – it is so!

Never Once

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Standing on this mountain top
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us
Kneeling on this battleground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Standing on this mountain top
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
It’s true, You are faithful, God You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

We know, You are faithful, God, You are faithful

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

Songwriters: Jonas Myrin, Jason Ingram, Matt Redman
Performed by Matt Redman

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Do you realize that you have never been alone? Yes, that is right. Oh, I know that you may feel that way sometimes, or maybe a lot. But how awesome is it that your God has never left you! We may feel so far away, and it is usually because we have moved away in some way or another. Maybe there is a sin in your life that has become so big that it is controlling you. It started out fun but now it has turned on you. Sin is only fun  for a short period of time. The awesome thing is—all you have to do is repent. Tell God what you have done and ask His forgiveness. He already knows, He just wants to hear you are sorry. You can start over!

Maybe you are on the other side of a huge struggle, maybe you are dealing with financial issues, job loss, economy issues. Maybe it hasn’t been a pretty journey and yes there are “scars and struggles” along the way, but you can look back now and see where God’s hand has been—maybe the miracles He has performed, or just the peace He gave you while you were in the valley. Never once did you ever walk alone, never once did He leave you on your own. He is and always will be faithful to you and I. What joy does that bring to you today?

Maybe you are in the middle of a storm and you are wondering where God is at the moment. Walls are crumbling around you and you feel you just can’t do this anymore. There is hope! He is right there with you and He is strongest in our weakness. Just cry out His name, tell Him what you need.  Yes, He already knows but He wants to know that you know what you need and want, and He will carry you through this. When I hear these words, I think back to a time not too long ago when we had pennies to our name and no job offer in sight, and butter and crackers were a meal. I didn’t think I could do it one more day…But God! He was my Strength and my Comfort, He was my Rock and my only Hope. I prayed and thanked Him for what He would do for us—that job I knew He had picked out but we had not gotten yet. I thanked Him for His timing and how perfect it was. And then, one day, we were walking uphill and we saw the light at the end of the tunnel! He made good on His promise that He would never leave us in one place too long and He would never leave us or forsake us.

This past Sunday, my precious 21 year old daughter sang this song. I stood there in complete awe of my God. Now that we are on the mountaintop, I can see that every victory was Him, every answer was Him, and looking back on how far we have come, I can honestly say,”Never once did we ever walk alone” and watching my sweet husband with hands up in worship was my miracle that I prayed for so earnestly. He still performs miracles!

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Let us pray: Oh God, how thankful we are that You have never once left us. From the day we are born and all throughout our lives, You desire a relationship with us. And though trials and struggles come and this world is getting harder, You remain the same. Yesterday, today, and forever, You are God, and You are on the throne! Thank You for the scars for they are reminders of when we fell and You picked us up. Some of us are still waiting on that miracle, or some are in the valley today…may this be hope to them that never once did You leave us on our own and You never will. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.