THE MIGHTY HELPER

THE faithful and gracious Covenant God has given many dear promises in our Bible for His people Israel. On God’s time they have been led out of the Egypt of this world. By His mighty hand they were delivered and led out of this house of bondage. They were led on the way which leads through this world to the heavenly Fatherland. The way through the desert is not pleasant for flesh and blood. Many difficulties and vicissitudes, many miseries and sorrows are their portion as they travel forth through the wilderness. At times they are full of courage, but at other times their courage is about gone and they are inclined unto despondency. It all depends upon the measure of grace and faith given unto them in the divine dispensation. At times they travel forth in a strong and firm faith, but at other times they appear to be Little-faith. Behold this in the prophet Elijah. When he stood in the presence of the wicked king Ahab and in the midst of people and false prophets, he was full of faith and courage; but when he received his death message from Jezebel (not from God) and fled to the juniper tree in the desert of Beersheba, where was then his faith and courage? All the spiritual travelers through the desert will understand Elijah. They are at all times dependent in the faith and the exercises thereof upon Him, Who says to His people in the words of the text: “Fear not, I will help thee.”

This is a precious promise for God’s dear children for the whole way through this life and through death. In the way of promises it pleases a gracious and merciful God to strengthen the faith of His people, who are so often weak and fearing, and to give them new courage and comfort. And the promise is not given as a resting-place, but that they should plead upon it. It is given to encourage, to comfort, and to make glad, if a place has been prepared for it in the heart, is applied by the Spirit of God, and the soul may make a blessed use of it by faith. Then the soul may say with David, “Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope.” And how could this man, in his weakness and poverty, beseech the Lord for the promised good, saying, “Stablish Thy word unto Thy servant, who is devoted to Thy fear.”

It is the faithful God of Israel Who speaks the words: “Fear not, I will help thee.” It is He Who has been given by the Father as a Redeemer and Helper of a people having no strength and power in themselves. We read in Psalm 89, verse 19: “Then Thou spakest in vision to Thy holy One, and saidst, I have laid help upon One that is mighty; I have exalted One chosen out of the people.”

The prophet Micah also speaks of this Redeemer and Helper when he says, that the Breaker is come up before them and that their King shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them, chapter 2, verse 13. Not very long ago a traveling pilgrim, while in his closet, was privileged to behold Him by the eye of faith, and began to sing:

“The Lord with me, I will not fear
Tho’ human might oppose;
The Lord My Helper, I shall be
Triumphant o’er my foes.
No trust in men, or kings of men,
Can confidence afford,
But they are strong, and sure their trust,
Whose hope is in the Lord.”

This Lord is an almighty, faithful, gracious, loving, righteous, holy, and sovereign God. He has proved to be for His people an ever present Help, a Friend that loveth at all times. Moses said of Him: “Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place (our refuge) in all generations.” And David says in Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” The Lord says to His followers in all their miseries, distresses, concerns, disappointments, battles, and struggles, in all their needs and wants: “Pear not!”

If we look into the lives of the Biblical saints, we discover that they had to wrestle with many fears upon their way. How often were they frightened and distressed in those wonderful and deep ways wherein the Lord would lead them. When they were led by Word and Spirit in the depths of their soul-miseries, and they had to confess: “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” (Psalm 38). When they had to feel the bitterness of their sins in painful chastisements and they had to walk in mourning by the strokes of God’s hand. When they were led into the furnace of trials as poor Job and must complain: “For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.” Or when, like Hezekiah, they lay down upon their deathbed: must die, and cannot die.

The divine eye of Him, Who is their hope and expectation, Who is omnipresent and omniscient, sees all their fears. He knows what it is to fear and be frightened. Was he not constrained to cry on the cross: I am in distress! My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? This distressed, suffering and dying Surety and Savior, now glorified at the right hand of His Father in heaven, says to all His people: “Fear not, I will help thee.”

How wonderfully does He know how to banish all fears out of the hearts of His followers in His speaking and appearance, so that they must testify and say:

“In Thee my soul is satisfied,
My darkness turns to light,
And joyful meditations fill
The watches of the night.”

God spoke to a fearing Abram, saying, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”

And is the Lord not the Helper of that weak and fearing people, who are compared to conies, lambs, worms, etc.? Could not David testify: “The Lord taketh my part with them that help me.” He helps out of all dungeons and prisons; He helps through all difficulties of this life; He helps them in all the battles and attacks of the enemy; He helps them to bear the cross; He helps them to be patient in all oppression and affliction ; He helps them to travel on by day and by night; He helps them to bear all injustice done unto them; He helps them to deny themselves in all suffering; He helps them to testify of Him and to not fear scorn and reproach; He helps them to cleave after Him and to be faithful unto the end; He helps them to arise when they have slipped and stumbled, etc.

Their faithful and compassionate King says to all, no matter in what stage of grace they have been led in Providence : “For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel: I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”

How much more could be added to this, but it is only a short meditation with an eye upon the beginning of the New Year. Years may change, and many other things may change, but Jehovah is at all times the same, and calls from heaven to His dear ones: “Fear not, I will help thee!” You, yes you, who look up to Me in all your ways and can do nothing without Me. Perhaps there are many fears and concerns in your heart with the entrance of this new year, and how shall it be further as time will fly on? May the Lord give grace to look upon Him Who is at all times ready to deliver and help. He is faithful in keeping His word. How often have you experienced this, and could praise Him and rejoice in Him. Throughout the whole way the faithful and gracious King shall fulfill His promise: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.”

Reader, are you yet going forth in your own way towards that never-ending eternity, that road you have chosen in Adam; do you walk in ways of public or hidden sins; do you refuse to become ashamed and penitent; are you satisfied with a mere form of religion and are you a stranger of a holy closet-religion; do you build upon self-righteousness and hypocrisy? O, that you may fear and tremble for the most High Who can summon you at any moment to appear before His tribunal in death! The Lord calls you to repentance and to turn unto Him, before your day of grace has ended. May He open your blind soul-eyes and make you cry to Him: Lord, deliver and help me. O God, show mercy to me a sinner! May this year be the time of your conversion, justifying God in your condemnation, but at the same time let the cry be heard in heaven: “Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, is there no way by which we may escape that punishment, and be again received into favor?” Hearken to the answer of David in Psalm 116:

“Brought nigh to death and full of grief,
The Lord’s salvation I besought;
He heard my cry, He sent relief,
My soul from depths of woe He brought.”

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen