My help comes from the Lord

Bible Reading

• Psalm 121
• 2 Timothy 4

Devotional Thoughts

It was interesting to read Ps 121:2-5 after reading Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in 2 Tim 4:2 “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favourable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching”

The strength to say the hard things, and to preach the Word whether it is a favourable time or not, comes from the Lord!

2 Tim 4:5 “You should keep a clear mind in every situation.”

That sounds like what my coworker calls “wisdom killers.” Things that cloud our thinking and distract us from seeing / listening to sound wisdom. So, what’s going to cause us to “lose” our clear mind?  

2 Tim 4:6 “Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.”  

When we are worried about how people are going to respond to us, rather than focusing on what God asks us to do, that is a wisdom killer. That will cause us to “lose” our clear mind!  

There are times that we need to communicate difficult things to our students. But, fear of hurting them… fear of causing them to quit… fear that they won’t like us because of what we say… etc. makes it difficult to know how to say these things. Fear is a wisdom killer. It hinders us from having a clear mind in every situation. Therefore hindering us from fully carrying out the ministry God has given us (2 Tim 4:6).

In light of that I needed these words from the Psalms today. Ps 121:2-5 “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you… The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.”

I needed the Lord’s help this week as had to communicate some difficult things. I was so thankful to see how God worked in the conversation and enabled me to communicate clearly and graciously, and allowed my student to receive it very well. Thank you Father.

Declarations

• What I have to say is from the Lord. It’s His message and we need to trust that they will hear it as from him. (1 These 2:13)
• Fear is a liar! Fear hinders me from fully carrying out the ministry God has given me. (2 Tim 4:6)
• It’s God’s message, He is the one who promises to be my help, to speak through me. I can trust him to communicate through me. (Ps 121:1-4)