To Encourage You

Hebrews 13:6 “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”

Some years ago, I was facing a very difficult challenge in my life. It was getting the best of me and fear was gripping my heart. I feared the future and was very concerned about how this particular situation might affect our entire family. One morning, as I was filled with anxiety, I said to my wife “What’s going to happen to us?!” In reply, this wonderful godly woman looked me in the eye and said this: “I don’t serve a God like that!! Don’t you try to scare me!” And that’s exactly what I needed to hear, for my wife was simply putting into practice the words of the verse above.

The difference between her and me at that moment was that she actually believed the words of this verse, and I, at best, doubted them. The King James version of Hebrews 13:6 starts with “So we may boldly say . . .” What a wonderful truth this is. No matter the situation a believer should face, we can boldly say “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Something that comes to my mind as I write this is the little first grader who gets bullied at school by some much bigger sixth grader. Going to school becomes a fearful experience for the little guy, for he never knows when the bully will strike. However, what the bully doesn’t know is that the first grader has a big brother – a senior defensive lineman on the football team who is all of 250 lbs. One day the brother drops the first grader off at school, just as the bully shows up to start terrorizing him. You can imagine the result. From that moment on the first grader has a renewed confidence. Although the bully is still there, the first grader has a new found appreciation for the fact that he has a strong defender. Now both he and the bully know full well that although they don’t always see the big brother, he’s always around, and because of that, the fear is transferred from the first grader to the bully.

As  believers, our “big brother” is the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Creator of the universe. Although we can’t see Him, He has assured us that He’s always with us. Surely then, we can say, as my wife more or less told me that day “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” May this wonderful truth encourage each and every one of us who are believers, come what may, today, tomorrow, and the next day. May we be anxious for nothing, but trust in and believe the words of the One who has also told us “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).