174. GRACE AND GLORY – THE LORD WILL HELP ME

(The Faith Forum Series – Batch 4)

This morning, during and after my devotions, a thought came to mind as I meditated on God’s Word, the Bible, even in the face of continuous opposition sent by the enemy, to distract, derail and discourage me.

I then wrote the following quote and uploaded it to my ‘BIBLE-BELIEVING Daughters of God – Hephzibah Diaries’ Page:

In Psalm 56, David expressed similar sentiments when he prayed to God stating:

• “Be MERCIFUL unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting DAILY oppresseth me. Mine enemies would DAILY swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. IN GOD I will praise his word, IN GOD I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. EVERY DAY THEY WREST MY WORDS: ALL THEIR THOUGHTS ARE AGAINST ME FOR EVIL. They GATHER THEMSELVES TOGETHER, they hide themselves, they MARK MY STEPS, when they wait for my soul.”

I can certainly identify with David’s experience. I have certainly had and continue to have people in my life or around me, that are eager to see me fail, that love to meddle in my affairs, criticize me behind my back (without even knowing half of the facts), pronounce me a failure and set themselves wickedly to see my demise. Yes. They are eager to see me fail, think the very worst of me and relish in what they perceive, must be my pain.

Mind you, whereas some of these attacks are bold-faced and brazen, some are subtle, in that they are not blatantly done but you can certainly discern and perceive the war that is raging around you, violence on the tongue and in the heart, of people who the enemy has set in array round about you. They are preoccupied with you, obsessed with your business. You do not pursue after them and their affairs with such vigour. Yet, they can’t help but gather themselves together to discuss you and your affairs and what they ‘perceive’ prematurely, to be your failure. Believe it not, they deludedly consider themselves like Aaron and Miriam, to be justified in this endeavour.

Yet, this morning, some verses came to mind, verses which apply to my situation and which I will cling to for dear life. For in God’s Word is life. I realize that the enemy has raised up an army against me, on every hand and side. Yet, try as he might, he will not prevail because GOD’S POWER TRUMPS ALL.

The following verses which I find to be applicable to my situation, brought great comfort and peace to my soul this morning, as I PRESSED ON, not in my own strength but in the POWER of God’s might. They read:

• “Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God…But thou, O Lord, art a SHIELD for me; my GLORY, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill… I laid me down and slept; I awaked; FOR THE LORD SUSTAINED ME.

• I will NOT be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten ALL mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. SALVATION belongeth unto the Lord: thy BLESSING is upon thy people…” (Psalm 3)

• “O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob… Behold, O God our SHIELD, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

• For the Lord God is a SUN and SHIELD: the Lord will give GRACE and GLORY: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, BLESSED is the man that trusteth in thee.” (Psalm 84: 8-12)

• “FOR THE LORD WILL HELP ME; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I SET MY FACE LIKE A FLINT, and I KNOW that I shall NOT be ashamed.

• HE is near that justifieth me; WHO will contend with me? let us stand together: WHO is mine adversary? let him come near to me. BEHOLD, THE LORD GOD WILL HELP ME; WHO is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.

• Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him TRUST in the name of the Lord, and STAY upon his God.” (Isaiah 50:7-10)

• “Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: WHOSOEVER shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake…No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and EVERY TONGUE that shall rise against thee in judgment THOU SHALT CONDEMN. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:15,17)

• “WHO art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. YEA, HE SHALL BE HOLDEN UP: FOR GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE HIM STAND.” (Romans 14:4)

• “And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a LIGHT SHINED in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And HIS CHAINS FELL OFF from his hands. And the angel said unto him, GIRD THYSELF and BIND ON THY SANDALS. And so he did. And he saith unto him, CAST THY GARMENT ABOUT THEE, AND FOLLOW ME. And he went out, and followed him…

• And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath DELIVERED me out of the hand of Herod, and FROM ALL THE EXPECTATION OF THE PEOPLE of the Jews.” (Acts 12:1-11)

DEAR NAYSAYERS, GOSSIPERS, CRITICS and ACCUSERS, he’s gonna do the same for me. Just you wait and see.

His Word, upon which I rely, states:

• “The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth GRACE unto the lowly. The wise shall inherit GLORY: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.” (Proverbs 3:33-35)

• “The Lord is my light and my salvation; WHOM shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of WHOM shall I be afraid?  When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble HE shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; HE SHALL SET ME UP UPON A ROCK. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of JOY; I will SING, yea, I will SING PRAISES unto the Lord.” (Psalm 27:1-6)

• “O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage…Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

• Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

• Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. FOR THE LORD WILL NOT CAST OFF HIS PEOPLE, NEITHER WILL HE FORSAKE HIS INHERITANCE. But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

• Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? UNLESS THE LORD HAD BEEN MY HELP, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; THY MERCY, O LORD, HELD ME UP. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

• Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. BUT THE LORD IS MY DEFENCE; AND MY GOD IS THE ROCK OF MY REFUGE. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness…” (Psalm 94)

• “I will PRAISE thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy MARVELLOUS works. I will be GLAD and REJOICE in thee: I will SING PRAISE to thy name, O thou most High.  When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right…The Lord also will be a REFUGE for the oppressed, a REFUGE in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. SING PRAISES to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings. When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. Have MERCY upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: THAT I MAY SHEW FORTH ALL THY PRAISE IN THE GATES OF THE DAUGHTER OF ZION: I WILL REJOICE IN THY SALVATION…

• The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands…For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.” (Psalm 9:1-4,9-14,16,18)

• “O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; GIVE THY STRENGTH unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because THOU LORD, HAST HOLPEN ME, and comforted me.” (Psalm 86:14-17)

• “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I WILL UPHOLD THEE WITH THE RIGHT HAND OF MY RIGHTEOUSNESS. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. FOR I THE LORD THY GOD WILL HOLD THY RIGHT HAND, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” (Isaiah 41:10-13)

As I close, I must state that, as imperfect, weak and fragile as I am, the God I serve is EXCELLENT, he is POWERFUL, he is GREAT and he is GOD. My soul will forever make my boast in HIM. Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t help those who can help themselves but those who can’t help themselves. When I tell him (as I have at different points in my life), like king Jehoshaphat, that I am weak and don’t know what to do, this then makes me a prime candidate for HIS intervention and to experience his GRACE and his GLORY.

It is in meekness that we get to experience the GLORY of the Lord. This is why my prayer has been and continues to be, that the Lord remove any pride that he sees in me and to increase my humility. I have realized that God’s GRANDEUR, AWESOMENESS and MAJESTY, cannot truly be appreciated in a heart that is proud. The lower we get in humility, the more we can appreciate how HIGH he is. The more humble we are the more we can be given insight into God’s GLORY and understand the extent of his GRACE toward us.

We must needs stoop and bow low to the Lordship of Jesus, convinced of the nothingness of ourselves, in order to truly understand and appreciate some measure of who he is and how high and exalted is his name.

When he in his mercy HELPS this reject, this write-off, this subject of entertainment, gossip, insults and ridicule and in so doing, defeats the expectations of the malicious and those who do not have my best interests at heart, I will return and give thanks to his holy name. I will declare:

• “I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

• Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and HE HELPED ME. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt BOUNTIFULLY with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I believed, therefore have I spoken:

• I was greatly afflicted: I said in my haste, All men are liars. 

• What shall I render unto the Lord for all his BENEFITS TOWARD ME? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.” (Psalm 116:1-14)

(Written on 08th March, 2021)

(See related Article topics below)

Dear Reader, if you found the above Article to be informative, edifying or interesting, you may also be interested in reading the following:

• Note 11 – ‘Who Are Your Enemies?’
• Note 12 – Stressful Attacks – How David, Hannah and Jehoshaphat Handled It’
• Note 15 – ‘Why The Enemy’s Attack Is My Cue To Sing’
• Note 47 – ‘Silencing The Naysayers’
• Note 59 – ‘I Will Trust God With My Enemies’
• Note 63 – ‘After They Have Done Their Worst, Yet Still I Rise’
• Note 67 – ‘What The Enemy Is After’
• Note 71 – ‘…But God’
• Note 74 – ‘Whose Report Will You Believe?’
• Note 86 – ‘They Say I Can’t But By God’s Grace I Will’
• Note 106 – ‘They Can Think Whatever They Like – God Will Do Whatever He Pleases’
• Note 107 – ‘I’ve Got No Time To Mind Anybody’s Business’
• Note 123 – ‘God Calls Me Hephzibah’
• Note 124 – ‘It Is Well’
• Note 124 – ‘When God Promises To Write-on A Write-off’
• Note 126 – ‘A Hopeless End Or An Endless Hope?’
• Note 127 – ‘Left For Dead…Then Resurrected’
• Note 161 – ‘Overcoming Oppression – Spiritual Warfare’
• Note 165 – ‘Peter’s Imprisonment – Points I Gleaned From My Study Of Acts 12:1-19’
• Note 171 – ‘Dear Peninnah’
• Note 173 – ‘Showdown In Egypt – God’s Power Trumps All‘