God’s help

Am I a Signpost or a Destination?

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6 NKJV

Imagine that you are headed for Niagara Falls. You can’t wait to get there, because, though you have never been there before, you have heard from others about its amazing beauty and power. Along the way you see a signpost ahead, “Niagara Falls, 30 miles.” Though, you get excited to see the sign, and grateful that your destination is close, you do not pull over, get out of your car and set up camp. No! You have not traveled to see the signpost. You want to see the real thing!

Photo by Alexander Kovalev on Pexels.com

That is a funny thought, but strange as it may sound, we who have been Christians for a while, can easily begin to think that we are the destination instead of the signpost, and we forget that our only job is to point the way to Jesus.

In today’s verse, the phrase, “The Lord is my helper,” is such a curious term that, since I didn’t understand it, I mentally filed it away under the heading, “Check back later.” It felt awkward because Jesus was certainly not under my command. I knew that He was far more than a good handyman to call when the kitchen sink springs a leak. But when I looked it up, I discovered that the Greek word here does not mean that God is our servant. Instead, it says that He is someone who shows up when I am in a fight with someone stronger than me and chases them off. But unfortunately, it is our tendency to take credit for what God has done, forgetting that we are just supposed to be the signpost. There is nothing amazing about a signpost. No one puts a parking area around a sign or builds a 5-star hotel for people to stay overnight there. As signposts we simply point to Jesus and His amazing power, love, and mercy. And He promises us that if we are faithful, one day we will do more than point the way to Him: We will arrive in Heaven, see Him face to face and worship at the feet of Jesus Christ!

Stop and Think About It

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
"To the choirmaster, of the sons of Korah, according to Alamoth, a song. 
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 ESV

We don’t know what kind of trouble David faced when he wrote Psalm 46, but it is interesting that instead of trying to figure out his own solution, he decides to write a song. In the first line of his lyrics, he starts to remind himself of who God is and how He always comes through to help.

The intriguing feature of David’s song is that he divides it into three parts, and at the end of each one he writes the word, “Selah”, which can be roughly translated, “Stop and think about that for a moment.” David wants us to remember that when we face dangers and difficulties, instead of panicking, and running away, or running to the wrong place for help, we need to stop and think about God’s faithfulness, power and love. Now, we don’t necessarily need to write ourselves a song like David did to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness, though that’s not a bad idea. Just begin singing the words of Psalm 46 in your heart. God doesn’t care what melody you use. Then, no matter what happens, remember that we can always trust in Jesus. So stop what you’re doing and think about that!

Row Harder!

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future Jeremiah 29:11

“Row harder! More to the left! Don’t stand up! Just be careful!” Who hasn’t heard all these instructions as you began your first solo voyage in a kayak? You might have been feeling a little nervous, but then just as you launched out, barely ten feet from the shore it seems you were sinking under waves of advice.

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The Jewish people as they arrived in their new home in Babylon were in very much the same situation. Some people were so depressed they just literally wanted to hang up their harps and give up. There were also some “Prosperity prophets” around telling the people to cheer up because God was going to destroy Babylon any minute and they would soon be back in their own land (PS send a big offering to me) Last of all, there were folks with their hands just itching to pull out their swords because they hated the foreign rulers and wanted revenge. With so many voices pushing and pulling at them many ordinary people were plenty confused.

That was exactly when God sent Jeremiah with this word of encouragement and guidance. No matter the situation you are facing today, the first person to listen to is God! Only God knows the plan. He knows which way to go and how long it will take to get there. But the best part is that no matter how far we have to go, He does not just want to tell us the way.  His desire is to get right in the boat with us and help with the rowing. He already knows the way but we need to be willing to listen and if we ask he’ll pick up the oars and go with us to the other side!

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