In 2 Chronicles, we read the story of how Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came to fight against Jerusalem. Hezekiah was king of Jerusalem at that time, and the Bible tells us that He spoke to the people and told them, “Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)
As Christians, we also have God to fight our battles for us. The reason we are so often defeated is, we try to fight our own battles rather than trusting in the strength and power of our God.
In Psalm 18, David talks about how he trusting in God and God delivered him. In verse 6, we read, “In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.” And in verse 17, “He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.” David called out to God for help in his time of need, and God helped him.
We read in the later in that Psalm the reason that God answered his call for help, “For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His ordinances were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless with Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.” (Psalm 18:21-24)
David talks many times in the Psalms about God’s help. “O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.” (Psalm 30:2), “Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.” (Psalm 33:20), “O Israel, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield.” (Psalm 115:9), and “My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2) are a few of the many.
God is there to help us through any trouble or trial we face. In fact, He delights in us calling on Him and trusting in Him for our help. And that’s ALL the more reason we need to stay close to Him, so that when we do run into trouble, when we face temptation, when things get stormy in our lives and we don’t know what to do – we can call out to Him for help and He WILL HELP US!
Isaiah 31:1 warns us, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!”
We don’t need the “help” of this world – we NEED God’s Help! Because with God’s help, we can overcome ANY obstacle or trouble that lies in our path. Rather than trying to figure your own way through the difficulties you face – call out to God and ask Him to help you, and then trust in His help!
“You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield.” (Psalm 115:11)