As the rain and snow

“Open to me the gates of righteousness,
    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
    the righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me
    and have become my salvation.” Psalm 118:19-21

“Lift up your heads, O gates!
    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord, strong and mighty,
    the Lord, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
    And lift them up, O ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord of hosts,
    he is the King of glory!” Psalm 24:7-10

“Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Psalm 100:3-4

The gates of the Lord work both ways. The gates of righteousness stand open, inviting, that we might enter to know Jesus as Victor and Savior, that we might see and receive His glory. In grace He widens them to reveal the King in His regal splendor, to beckon us through to approach with worship and praise. And we in faith open the doors of our hearts that this King might enter in and take His throne, ruling every aspect of our lives as we bow in humble servitude to His loving Lordship. The wider they swing, the broader our faith and deeper our maturity in Christ.

If we have entered God’s gates of salvation in bold trust, we have an obligation to open them to others. By example and word, by love and demeanor, we invite kings and commoners- all the needy- to the threshold and present truth so they are drawn irresistibly to enter. How often do we enter on our own and sing praises? When do we draw nigh to pray for opportunity and individuals? Whom have we brought near and shown the glory of the Almighty through His word and ways? (Jeremiah 7:2; 17:19-20)

“Open now thy gates of beauty,
Zion, let me enter there,
Where my soul in joyful duty
Waits for Him who answers prayer.
Oh, how blessed is this place,
Filled with solace, light and grace!

Gracious God, I come before Thee,
Come Thou also down to me;
Where we find Thee and adore Thee,
There a heav’n on earth must be.
To my heart, oh, enter Thou,
Let it be Thy temple now!

Here Thy praise is gladly chanted,
Here Thy seed is duly sown;
Let my soul, where it is planted,
Bring forth precious sheaves alone,
So that all I hear may be
Fruitful unto life in me.

Thou my faith increase and quicken,
Let me keep Thy gift divine,
Howsoe’er temptations thicken;
May Thy Word still o’er me shine
As my guiding star through life,
As my comfort in my strife.

Speak, O God, and I will hear Thee,
Let Thy will be done indeed;
May I undisturbed draw near Thee
While Thou dost Thy people feed.
Here of life the fountain flows,
Here is balm for all our woes.” ~Benjamin Schlock (1730)

Lord, may I swing wide Your gates to others and magnify Your glory.

“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land.., and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there.  And you shall go to the priest… and say, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’  Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.

“And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father [who] went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. The Egyptians… humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. Then we cried to the Lord,.. and [he] heard our voice and saw our affliction, toil, and oppression. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,.. into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  And now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord and worship…  And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given.” Deuteronomy 26:1-11a

When you reach a good place, a resting place, a bountiful place, gather some of your first of all. Choose some first and best and take it to God’s place, declare to God His promises, offer to God His gifts and thanks and worship and joy. All is from Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)

While this offering is an act of obedience, it promulgates much more. In acknowledging that God owns everything and is the only distributor of gifts, we exalt His greatness and our servitude, establishing proper relationship. We learn dependence, gratitude, and to bow. We also provide for others and so learn the habit of generosity. What is done in body seeps into heart and soul. His commands become a delight and His favor a righteous expectation. (Deuteronomy 26:12-13,15-19; James 1:17)

The Lord has given all things, including the opportunity to be a steward and guidelines for living. He gives liberally of His Spirit to quicken holy desire and enable zealous obedience. He bestows much all from which we discern the first, and develops joyful obedience and faith as we do His good will. His intention for His treasured possession is beyond our imagining! Would we set about to discover His best and explore its vastness? (1 Corinthians 2:9)

What keeps us questioning God’s order of things? If we know from the Scriptures that His ways are best and for our good, what keeps us choosing otherwise? What selfish impulses need we confess and, by the Spirit’s strength, put away forever? When we hoard His riches we miss out on God’s spiritual return, and have only gain to anticipate when we follow His instructions. Which will it be?

Father, may I never forget that every good gift is from You and for You. I offer You my all for Your use and glory.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!..

Some wandered in desert wastes,
    finding no way to a city to dwell in;
hungry and thirsty,
    their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
    till they reached a city to dwell in.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
For he satisfies the longing soul,
    and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    prisoners in affliction and in irons,
for they had rebelled against the words of God,
    and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
    they fell down, with none to help.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
    and burst their bonds apart.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
For he shatters the doors of bronze
    and cuts in two the bars of iron.” Psalm 107:1,4-16

The human condition is a lost cause, an endless repetition of rebel choices and relentless messes mired in willfully chosen darkness. But for the grace of God. Fickle man cries to the Lord from the misery of distress, He answers and delivers. O give Him thanks for His steadfast love! (Psalm 107:17-22)

We set about our industry with cocky self-assurance, and attribute success and favor to God’s deserved graces or good fortune. We foolishly wander from God’s good word, we flirt with and dance around full commitment, we spurn His way for self-determined choices, and suffer harsh consequences. God breaks our iron fist on control and brings us to the end of self-sufficiency. He hears our desperation and in grace, comes with redemptive mercy to lead us freely into His garden of heavenly delights. O give Him thanks for His steadfast love! (Psalm 107:23-32)

God always knows what He is doing and what is best for His people to bring about His plans. In wisdom He turns our plans inside out, His wondrous deeds to perform. He does all things well as He accomplishes His bidding to humble and exalt, to teach wisdom and provide. O give Him thanks for His steadfast love! (Psalm 107:33-43; Isaiah 14:24; 46:10)

If we know all these things to be true, what makes us chafe at His leading? Rebel against His commands? Keep steaming forward presuming on His mercy, disregarding what we know will incur hurtful consequences? If we know His grace, would we not be humbled, grateful, and want to please Him? (Romans 6:1-2,6)

What will we implement or change to arrest unhealthy, godly cycles of impulse, attitude, and behavior? How will we breathe an inflow and outflow of fresh mercies from God and toward others?

Father, for all Your mercies, new every morning, may I praise You, and live according to Your grace and in Your steadfast love, for Your glory and pleasure. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

“Open my eyes, that I may behold
    wondrous things out of your law.” Psalm 119:18

“From this time forth I announce to you new things,
    hidden things that you have not known.
They are created now, not long ago;
    before today you have never heard of them,
    lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
You have never heard, you have never known,
    from of old your ear has not been opened.” Isaiah 48:6b-8a

“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it… The Helper, the Holy Spirit,.. will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:13-14,26

“You do not have, because you do not ask.” James 4:2

There are many things we do not know, areas where we bumble along clumsily or ignorantly in this life because we take not time to learn. Certainly there are gifts and abilities we will never have, but as those in Christ there is a myriad of spiritual riches and knowledge we never tap. The Lord Jesus urges His own to ask in order to receive, knowing that our inquiry and dependence are key to our appropriating His provision. Even our sanctification is forged through cooperation with and obedience to His Spirit. (Matthew 6:6-13)

Yet we live as paupers and are complacently willing to do so. From the beginning the devil has tricked us into thinking God wants to withhold, that He ordered our incompleteness and as a tyrant will keep it that way. But the Lord designed and desires for us a rich relationship with Him that fosters longing, trusting, and acting in faith to grow. (Genesis 3:1-8; Psalm 16:11; John 10:10; 15:11)

When we ask specifically, we’ve identified what we desire and need. When we ask expectantly, we listen and look for answers. When we receive and heed answers, we learn the joys of obedience and God’s gracious provision. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Where am I lacking in righteous desire or understanding? What specifically do I need of patience, grace, or insight for certain situations? Where am I inept or weak that only God can undertake and supply? Would I ask, and believe He will answer?

Do I not ask for answers, acumen, or ability because I am unwilling to learn new ways? Do I not ask because I’m afraid of what God might require me to change or to put away? Do I not ask because I’m lazy and prefer status quo, doing what I can decently and loafing in excuses for what I can’t? (Philippians 2:3-4)

“Spirit of God, who dwells within my heart,
wean it from sin, through all its pulses move.
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as you are,
and make me love you as I ought to love.

Teach me to feel that you are always nigh;
teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
to check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;
teach me the patience of unceasing prayer.

Teach me to love you as your angels love,
one holy passion filling all my frame:
the fullness of the heaven-descended Dove;
my heart an altar, and your love the flame.” ~George Croly (1854)

Amen.

“You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments,.. lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied,.. then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground.., who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna.., that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth… And if you forget the Lord and go after other gods… and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.” Deuteronomy 8:10-19

Moses spoke with authority and love. His words encouraged and admonished. He instructed God’s people, his people, to take care to make the most of the incredible blessings they’d received and would procure from God. He knew weak flesh, pride, the fickle human heart. And he knew they’d be the downfall of a people set apart for holiness. So he explained that if they strayed into smugness and thinking they deserved everything over which God had made them only stewards, and could use it for their own ends, they’d be corrected, even punished. God would impose hurt so good would result. Under His punishment they’d hurt so good they’d learn their lesson never to touch His glory or ownership. (Numbers 20:7-13; Isaiah 42:8; 48:11)

When we enjoy fruits of our labors and receive bounty from the Lord, directly or through others, we might forget the reasons He has blessed us. Pleasure becomes self-perpetuating and like adrenaline stokes a sense of greed or desert. We zero in on stuff and strokes and lose the higher view. But God is the One who gives power to get wealth, He is the giver of every good and perfect gift, and bestows blessing to humble us toward Him and make us grateful. He will not put up with puffed up personal pride. He loves us too much to let us slip into such foolish idolatry. (1 Chronicles 29:11-13; James 1:17)

Do I jealously claim God’s ownership over all in my realm and care every day? What portion of my prayer time is devoted to thanksgiving? How would my attitude change if I opened, rather than clenched, my hands? Where am I experiencing hurt that the Lord intends for a greater good? Where is He testing me as divine good, and how am I faring with stewardship and utilization for the good of others?

Lord, please give me a daily heart of wisdom, appropriating time and resources with thanksgiving as Your gifts. Make me grateful for hurts You deliver for good, to bring You glory. (Psalm 90:12,15)

“Remember these things, O Jacob,
    and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
    O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
    and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.

“Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
    shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
    O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
    and will be glorified in Israel.

“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
    who formed you from the womb:
‘I am the Lord, who made all things,
    who alone stretched out the heavens,
    who spread out the earth by myself,
 who frustrates the signs of liars
    and makes fools of diviners,
who turns wise men back
    and makes their knowledge foolish,
who confirms the word of his servant
    and fulfills the counsel of his messengers.'” Isaiah 44:21-26a

“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord,.. who forgives all your iniquity,..
who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good…
As far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:2-4,12

Recite and sing and bless the Lord! He remembers His children, and His word to perform it. He blots out our sins and remembers them no more. We are always on His mind and crowned with His love. His thoughts of us are too many to count, and they are always for our good. Let us sing! (Psalm 139:1-10,17-18; Isaiah 43:18-21,25)

Our old ways, the sins that sting with ugly pain and condemning taunts, the shame we’ve too long carried, in Christ are remembered no more. Jesus the Redeemer calls us to life, makes all things new, and brings to mind the wonderful promises He’s given. Let us forget as He does what should take no more room in our minds, and let us remember all He does! (Isaiah 38:17; Micah 7:19; John 14:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 3:13-14)

With what do we fill our minds? Are we in the habit of playing broken records of self-condemnation or complaining? Are we prone to thinking the worst of others, of carrying low expectations of our loved ones? Do we imagine what-ifs and worry, or wrangle with wanting to control others’ decisions? What peace do we forfeit by not staying our minds on the Lord, what understanding by not meditating on His word? How would our outlook about life, work, relationships, present circumstances, and the future change if we set our minds on things above? What if we fixed our thoughts on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praise worthy? (Proverbs 2:1-5; Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 22:29; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:2)

Praise Jesus He has carried the weight of what He bids us forget, and by His Spirit brings to remembrance all He wants us to remember. (1 Peter 2:24)

Lord, set my mind on You and all that You reveal as true. Fill my mind and mouth to sing Your praises and exalt Your glory.

“Astonish yourselves and be astonished;
    blind yourselves and be blind!
Be drunk, but not with wine;
    stagger, but not with strong drink!
For the Lord has poured out upon you
    a spirit of deep sleep,
and has closed your eyes (the prophets),
    and covered your heads (the seers).

“And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot, for it is sealed.’  And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot read.’

“And the Lord said:
‘Because this people draw near with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,
    while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
therefore, behold, I will again
    do wonderful things with this people,
    with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
    and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.’

“Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
    whose deeds are in the dark,
    and who say, ‘Who sees us? Who knows us?’
You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
    ‘He did not make me’;..
    ‘He has no understanding’?

“Is it not yet a very little while
    until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
    and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?
In that day the deaf shall hear
    the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
    the eyes of the blind shall see.
The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
    and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel…

“They will sanctify my name;
they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
and those who murmur will accept instruction.” Isaiah 29:9-19,23b-24

How inverted the thinking and subversive the ways of man left to himself! Exerting himself against the knowledge and ways of God he has no idea that God rules and will not be fooled. Upside down is distorted as normal. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Yet still God mercifully woos. He speaks His word to uncover, convict, soften, and save. He exposes devotion as deception, haughtiness as folly. The loving God offers fresh joy and understanding for the hardest and lost. Man’s I cans become I cannots. Are we not astonished at the wonders of His love?

Where have lies and cultural pressures turned upside down our moral thinking, attitudes, and behavior? What excuses and alibis do we attempt as defenses against pride, rebellion, foolish decisions, and repeated sin habits? What keeps us from meekly acknowledging our Maker, and asking Him to redirect our wandering tendencies to rightly, genuinely, wholly exalt His name?

“He rules the world with truth and grace
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love.” ~Isaac Watts (1719)

Lord, may I never stray in spirit but remain in awe of You, influenced and directed in all things by Your wonder and truth.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
covering yourself with light as with a garment,
stretching out the heavens like a tent.
He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
he rides on the wings of the wind;
he makes his messengers winds,
his ministers a flaming fire.

He set the earth on its foundations,
so that it should never be moved.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they fled;
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
they give drink to every beast…
Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart…

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Here is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great…

May the glory of the Lord endure forever!..
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord…
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!” Psalm 104:1-15,24-25,31,33-34,35b

Every moment, every day, we are surrounded by and inundated with the marvelous deeds of God Almighty. The air we breathe, the varied colors that delight our souls, the sweetness of seeded fruit on our tongues, the liquid refreshment of water, the gravity that keeps us grounded, the sinews that hold our bodies together around a beating loving heart are all borne of His creative genius and upheld by His sustaining power. Bless the Lord, O my soul! (Colossians 1:15-17)

Within and alongside His beauties and graces are tasks and urgencies, trash and distractions. Only the senses trained in wonder and worship will notice His manifold works. Do we pause in our frenzied hours to delight in the intricacies of His creation and thoughtfully adore the Lord? Are we deliberately taking time to behold His majesty and praise His name, His mind and craft? How regularly do I verbally worship Him for who He is and what He’s done, separately from any connection to me? To whom do I speak and sing His greatness? His manifold works are worthy of manifold praise. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 105:1-5)

O Lord my God, you are very great! May I ever delight in Your works and offer You the glory You deserve, magnifying You in love, voice, and life.

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights…

“Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
‘I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them….’

“And I will lead the blind
in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do,
and I do not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:1a,5-9,16

The almighty God not only helps His children, He instills hope and purpose that put His help to use. He undertakes for His own for a reason, that we might serve Him. We’re chosen and delighted in as His beloved children, and given breath and light to share His truth wherever we’re planted. He takes us new places and to people we have not known, steers us aright, and determines the way for us to spread the hope of His name and salvation.

When the Lord meets us to bring us out of old places of stagnation and bad habits, or former places of doubt and distress, He walks us into new opportunities of service and spreading hope. He has ministered to us that we might minister to others as a conduit of His Spirit. When we gratefully take on identity as His servant, we expectantly proceed as He faithfully guides. (Isaiah 60:1; Matthew 5:14-16; 2 Corinthians 1:3-6

Where specifically are we going forth in the hope we’ve received? Into what relationships, tasks, service, ministries is divine purpose leading our steps? What new things is God directing us to seize and utilize? What injury suffered, illness borne, ability restored, resource endowed, is He urging us to carry forward and put to work for Him? What difference are we making at home, work, church, and community with the bounty God’s entrusted to us?

“Awake, my soul, and with the sun 
thy daily stage of duty run;
shake off dull sloth, and early rise
to pay thy morning sacrifice.

Lord, I my vows to Thee renew.
Disperse my sins as morning dew;
guard my first springs of thought and will;
and with Thyself my spirit fill.

Direct, control, suggest, this day,
all I design or do or say,
that all my pow’rs, with all their might,
in Thy sole glory may unite.” ~Thomas Ken (1695)

Father, You have given so much. Teach me good stewardship and bold living as I carry the help and hope You’ve so graciously bestowed to a needy world.

“But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen;..
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
    and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, ‘You are my servant,
    I have chosen you and not cast you off’;
fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

“Behold, all who are incensed against you
    shall be put to shame and confounded;
those who strive against you
    shall be as nothing and shall perish…
For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not,
    I am the one who helps you.’

“Fear not, you worm Jacob,
    you men of Israel!
I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord;
    your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel…

“When the poor and needy seek water,
    and there is none,
    and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them;
    I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
I will open rivers on the bare heights,
    and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
    and the dry land springs of water.
I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
    the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive.
I will set in the desert the cypress,
    the plane and the pine together,
that they may see and know,
    may consider and understand together,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
    the Holy One of Israel has created it.” Isaiah 41:8-11,13-14,17-20

Uneasy over an unknown future, poor and needy, weak and frightened, attacked, thirsty, overcome with no relief. God’s people languished, but God was their very present help. There was no dearth or ineptitude the Lord could not, would not, touch and relieve. He called, He held, He kept. He answered their need, never forsook, and ordered nature to provide. (Psalm 46:1; John 14:16-17)

And so He does for us. Every day. We face foreboding diagnoses, the insecurity of joblessness, relational challenges, temptations toward strange affections. Yet we have an ever-present Helper abiding in us and with us ready to assist, undertake, uplift, redirect, defend, and save. (Romans 8:31-34)

What dilemma or difficulty are we facing in weakness? Have we asked God for wisdom and strength? If under spiritual attack with doubt or worry, or physical pressure with health or want, would we run to Jesus and the promises in His name and be safe? (Proverbs 18:10)

“A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

“Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.” ~Martin Luther (1529)

Lord my Helper, in every rush and challenge keep me strong and trusting in Thee.