God: Our Helper

Have you ever been in a terrifying situation in which the odds were stacked up against you? David seems to have been in situations like this time and time again. His enemies were after him and he was in the midst of some pretty terrifying circumstances. Not only were his enemies after him, but people who he considered to be his friends were also turning against him. Can you imagine the amount of fear and uncertainty that David must have been feeling? Was there anyone he could trust? Was there anyone who was on his side? Have you ever felt like that? Completely surrounded by insurmountable obstacles without a single support in sight? In Psalm 60, David cries out for victory over his enemies, not only for himself, but for Israel. David knew that real help and the only help he needed, would come from God alone and that ultimately God was in control of everything. David’s strong confidence in God allowed for him to stand firm in faith even amidst some of the most trying circumstances he ever had to face. He was able to keep his focus on God even when everything else around him was trying to distract him from doing what was right. David not only trusted God, but he knew that God had everything under control. When we are going through difficult times in our lives, how easy is it for us to take our focus off of God and pay attention to the distractions of the world; the ones that take us away from the truth and that keep us from doing what is right? It’s pretty easy, I think. Distractions can be pretty loud when we are in the midst of a struggle, and they may take you away for a little while, but at the end of the day the struggles are still there. The book of Psalms is where I like to spend my time when I’m in the midst of some pretty difficult circumstances. Reading the word of God and meditating on what it means for my life has helped me to grow in my relationship with God and it has given me an excellent source of encouragement. Keeping my focus on God, the problem solver, rather than my problems, has enabled me to see more clearly that God is indeed in control of everything. He loves me, and you, far greater than I can imagine. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13) “With God’s help, we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes” (Psalm 60:12) If God is on our side, who can be against us?