Thursday, March 20, 2008

Help In Times Of Need

We don't get a newspaper here at our house, but my parents do. When I visited them last week, I grabbed The Commercial Appeal newspaper out of Memphis and read some of the advice columns. People with family problems, martial issues and job insecurities were asking the "experts" how to solve their problems.

Why is it that in time of trouble we so often seek the counsel of others rather than run to the arms of our all-sufficient God? I think it's because most of us don't really know our God. Why do many collapse in the day of trouble, become immobilized; why don't they take an aggressive stand in the face of fear? Because Christians, for the most part, can't boast in the name of their God. And yet we are called to say with David in Psalm 20:7, "Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boastin the name of the Lord."

In Bible days, chariots and horses were means of protection and escape during times of war. Today, our visible means of help, escape or protection come with different lables, shapes and forms. But are they really a source of safety? No. Proverbs 21:31 says, "The horse is prepared against the day of battle; but safety is of the Lord."

In the Hebrew language the phrase "to boast in" means "to have confidence in, to trust in." Therefore, to boast in God's name means to have confidence in His name. God's name represents His character, His attributes, His nature. To know His name is to know Him. To boast in His name is to have confidence in who He is! In the day of trouble or need, run to God and put your trust in Him. He promises to deliver and protect!

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