HOPE AND HELP IN TRYING TIMES (3)

“Behold, GOD is MY HELPER; The Lord is with those who uphold my life” – Psalm 54:4

GOD – Sovereign Ruler of the Universe – personally sustains us with HOPE and HELP in TRYING TIMES: “Behold, GOD is MY HELPER; The Lord is with those who uphold my life” (Psa.54:4). The New International version says, “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.” What an awesome affirmation! We can be personally held, helped, and upheld by God! There are trying times when life’s overwhelming needs paralyze us, our hearts our heavy, words seem to escape us, and the only words we have to pray are, “God, Help Me”! We cannot offer sweet soliloquies or wordy prayers in such dark moments, but simply go before the Lord and cry out, “God, Help Me.”  

David asked that the Lord help and sustain him in a trying time. He was on the run, hiding among those who were supposed to be his friends. Saul had received the news that he was no longer God’s chosen king and that David would take over the throne. Fuelled by jealousy, he began a man-hunt to kill David. In distress, fearful of life, David cried out to the Lord. As a regular communicator with God, he could have spent numerous breaths listing all the ways he needed rescuing, but he simply asked the Lord for Help. He then began to sing God’s praises: “I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good, For He has delivered me out of all trouble…” (vv.6-7a).

David’s Hope of divine protection was rooted in God’s past provisions. We can have Hope and Confidence as we approach Him in prayer, remembering all the ways He has been faithful to us. Even when we seem not to have the words, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness: “Likewise the Spirit also HELPS in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom.8:26). Whatever Help we may need – in personal life, at home, work, in church, and all facets of life, we can each affirm: “God is My Helper”! If we would simply and humbly acknowledge our need for His Help, the “God of Hope” and Helper of the helpless is always at hand.

Beloved, let’s look to God continually as Helper and Upholder of our lives, and those of our destiny-helpers. He keeps, protects, guards, guides, sustains, and provides for us, even in the middle of trials, temptations, troubles, and discouraging things that might come at us in this world. As we trust in Him, He will help us and uphold us. There’s nothing we can do apart from Him: “For without Me you can do nothing” (Jh.15:5b). We must learn to live with humble dependence on His Help, asking for it all day long, with the assurance of abundant provision.