“How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord His God.”

I am in a lot of pain today. With my injury, the pain comes in waves. Like all waves, there’s a crest. The crest in my affliction is quite painful but today is day one of the wave beginning, they can last for two weeks. I am already in agony and I am not even close to the crest. It is a difficult affliction that I bear and I often am fearful of my ability to make it to the end. 

Psalm 146:5 says, “How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord His God.” My hope in God is first eternal and for that I am thankful but practically, my hope is also in His person and character. My hope is that the God “who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them” will “keep my faith forever” and help my body endure. I need the practical strength of Jesus right now. The practical power to get through these next two weeks, let alone the remaining time of my healing. I know by faith that as He made the seas, and numbers the hairs on my head, He also is acutely aware of where I am and what I am going through. I know by faith that He will uphold me. Even though I don’t feel safe or ok, I cling to the one truth- that God is sovereign over my trial. The sovereignty of God comforts me and anchors me. It is a mighty compass in my overwhelming storm of uncertainty.

The waves of any trial are scary sometimes. Peter walked with Jesus and he still felt great fear. The disciples saw His miracles and still felt great moments of fear. Jesus alone conquerors fear, everyone else is subject to being rocked when real trials press in deep. Sometimes the monsters under the bed are real. They lurk and wait for us. They look for any moment to steal, kill, and destroy. When they come, those who hope in the Lord have an anchor to hold onto…one to cling to. 

I am not sure if you have ever felt afraid before. True fear is hard to navigate. I am not sure if the Lord has allowed something to enter into your life that has caused you to stop and wonder. I am not sure if you pretend every time you go to church that you are ok when secretly you are not. I am not sure if you put on that mask and smile but inwardly you are dying inside. I am not sure if your depression is deep and your brokenness is deeper. I know the hardest person we face is the one in the mirror. The eyes that look upon us know what’s deep within us. Our eyes see all the pretending, pain, and brokenness. It’s ok though, because “How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord His God.” It doesn’t mention your strength here, just your hope. We are told, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” I realize now that means me. The Lord has been showing me that I have been trusting in my own strength for too long. 

Sometimes the storm that is brought our way requires us to trust God moment to moment. Sometimes we need to stay so focused on Him because the very minute we look the other way the storm is waiting to overtake us, the skies become dark and scary, and the monsters are waiting to pounce. Sometimes weakness is permitted so that we lean on the Lord more. At that moment remember, “How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord His God.”