Young Timothy was helping his Dad clear a lot next to their home for a garden. Things went well until Tim ran into a large stone that he couldn’t budge. After struggling for a few moments he called to his Dad and said, “Dad, this one is too big for me to handle. What should I do?”

“Well,” said his Dad wanting him to learn a lesson, “what have you tried to do?”

“I’ve pulled on it with both hands,” he said looking down at the stone. “And I’ve tried to pull it with a hoe, too, but that didn’t work either.”

“Sounds like you’ve tried to move it with all the strength that you have,” his Dad said patiently.

“Sure have, Dad. There’s nothing else for me to do but up give up on it,” he said with discouragement.

“Give up, son? Why would you give up?” he asked.

“There’s nothing else to I can do,” said Tim.

“Oh, but there is. You can always call on me to help you, son,” he said with compassion.

Often God allows us to realize how weak we are without Him. We struggle and fail. We try and give up. We worry and become depressed. We think and realize that many things are beyond us. We practice and still make mistakes. We work and still can’t make ends meet.

Then suddenly we realize that God has put a “gap” between us and the solution to our problem. It’s His way of saying, “You can always call on me for help. And when you do, I will answer you and I will be with you!”

Prayer:  We thank You, Lord, for being just a “prayer away” whenever we need Your help. We are truly grateful. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today:  Psalm 91:15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

“I really need help. I don’t even know how to explain it. Many people think my problems are insignificant and quite trivial. I can even understand that. I know some people that have been through so much more than me who have survived and have lived to tell their story. I really, really need help but don’t know what to do or who to turn to.” So went the story.

There are times in each of our lives, no doubt, when we have made similar statements or cried words that echoed the same desperate feelings. We were defeated by the demands of life and felt desperate and empty with no strength to go on. Our words were inadequate or unavailable to share our misery. And if we were able to “get it out,” would anyone understand our fears and frustrations. And if they did, would they extend a helping hand or offer a listening ear?

Sometimes we are threatened by people we don’t even know. We hear of their attacks through the warnings of others and know they want to hurt us. Sometimes we know who our oppressors are yet can do nothing to eliminate the power they have over us.

David found himself in a similar situation. He looked around for help and deliverance and found no one ready to help him. But he knew that there was saving power in the name of God and cried out, “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the One Who sustains me.”

Often God brings us to a place in our lives to force us to realize that He alone is the ultimate Savior!

Prayer: What a joy it is to know, Father, that You will never leave us or forsake us or let any enemy destroy us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 54:4 Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life.

Our God is a great and gracious God. We see His greatness when we look into the spacious skies at night and see stars that cannot be counted and know that there are galaxies beyond galaxies. We see His greatness when His Son walked among the sick and healed them, the hungry and fed them, the grieving and comforted them, the distraught and encouraged them.

We see His grace when we look at Jesus on the cross, His resurrection from the tomb when He defeated death, His offer of salvation, His promise of eternal life with Him and His invitation to call on Him “whenever” for “whatever” as long as it is in His name.

David said that God “rescued him because He delighted in him.” Delighted here means “to be mindful of, to be attentive to, to keep, to protect, to have pleasure in...” Imagine the great value that God placed on David. He had a special place in God’s heart and was delivered from God’s wrath and his enemies.

In Christ we have the same deliverance. He takes God’s wrath from us in the salvation He provides for us and He also rescues us from the power of Satan who would defeat us. He is with us now just as He was with David three thousand years ago.

Christ living in us gives us His presence and power. When we call upon Him and trust in Him, we can be assured that He “is attentive to us, will keep us, protect us and take great pleasure in us” because He delights in us just as He did David.

Prayer: We thank You, Father, for Your greatness and grace that delivers us, cleanses us and empowers us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 18:19 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.