Verse of the Day Devotion: Hebrews 13:6
“So that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?” – Hebrews 13:6
We as God’s people should not be afraid of what could possibly happen to us. In fact, the writer of Hebrews says we can confidently state this as absolute. How can we say this? Let’s start by looking at the verse just before this. “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” Hebrews 13:5. If we realize and live our lives based on this verse, then we will have peace because we know that God will never leave us or forsake us. So, if we are content with what we have, knowing that our needs will be met, what do we have to fear? It is when we love success and desire things that are not necessities which we cannot acquire, then we lose that blessed place of peace.
And because of this, with confidence, we know the Lord is our helper. He is there to provide our needs, and to help us through any situation we find ourselves in. He also helps us in fulfilling His calling in our lives. See what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi. “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13. He will guide us in how to fulfill His calling in us, giving us the words to say, the deeds to do, the wisdom the succeed and the strength to perform it. If we have a question as to how to proceed, He will answer. This I have personally experienced in various ministry tasks He has led me to do. There were times I had no idea how to proceed, however, through prayer He gave me the answer to all my questions.
We also know, with great confidence, that we have no need to fear what will happen to us because of what men may do. I have read many stories about Christians who have been arrested because of their faith. Most, if not all, remained true to God no matter what anyone did to them. When trials came, they trusted that God would bring them through, however, if they were to die, they knew they would be OK, for God would take them to be with Him. They trusted God in the midst of their torture or execution. Even death is not to be feared, whether through execution or illness, for to us, it is simply going home.
Paul put it this way, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21. Our sole aim in life should be to bring glory and honor to Him. If we submit to Him as we should, then we will devote our lives to glorifying Him in everything we do. He should be our life. He must be our everything. And when we live our lives this way, and it comes time to die, we will gain freedom from suffering and pain; being then in a place of joy, peace and infinite love. We may lose our lives, but we gain all the good promised to us because of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
Therefore, we truly do not have anything to fear, for really, what can man do to us? God will provide all our needs, He will be with us in all we do, whether it be in reaching the lost, serving the body or suffering for His sake. Trusting in Him, He will guide us through this life, working through us to do His will. And if man were to take our life, it would be a great gain for us. Looking at life this way is a source of peace and joy. Let us all partake of this goodness given to us by Christ.
William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.