This verse provides good consolation which... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
Hebrews 13:6

This verse provides good consolation which should encourage us in many situations. Yes, reasons for fear are manifold, because people around us are not always kindly disposed towards us. We are speaking of the cases in which we haven’t given them a reason to deal with us in an unfriendly way – and there are plenty of those! Maybe colleagues or neighbours envy us, or we are defamed and threatened. Who has never experienced the little pinpricks from others which can hurt us so painfully! And what if one of our relatives or friends starts to withdraw from us without having a reason for doing so!

All this is very difficult to endure. But in addition to that, there is sometimes opposition because of the Word of God. Christians are subject to the authority of this Word. Peter and John answered to the Jewish leaders that they had to obey God more than men (Acts 4:19) and have thereby established a godly principle for all times. At that time the apostles were put under strong pressure by the leaders of their nation. But they leaned upon their Lord, and indeed, even people of high status could not harm them.

We want to keep this in mind at the gates of a new year. It is better to hold God’s holy principles than to accept compromises because we fear men. This is true for our daily life, in the questions of practical justice and honesty. And it is even more true when Christians reject unbiblical principles or behaviour. If we have thoroughly investigated that God’s Word shows us a certain truth (because we of course can go wrong) then let us hold on to this truth with God’s help! The Lord Himself will stand at our side and will help us, as the prophet Jeremiah experienced (see Jeremiah 26).

Today’s reading: Ezekiel 48:20-35 · Psalms 150:1-6