Be Encouraged

If we go to Psalm 27 and verse 1, the psalm of David:

“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?”

And then we go to Hebrews Chapter 13, verse 6:
“The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Oh my dear friend, as this lockdown persists, I am getting so many letters of people who are afraid, people who are lonely, people who don’t know which way to turn.

I want to encourage you today, that there is One, a Helper who will never leave you nor forsake you.

I looked up the Oxford Dictionary to define the word, “helper”.

Helper is one who makes it easier, one who improves a situation, one who is of benefit, one who assists, and Jesus is that one.

You know, as I record this message, I think of one of my heroes, one of the early fathers of the faith.

His name was Polycarp.

Polycarp sat under the teaching of John, the disciple of Jesus.

Can you imagine, sitting, listening to a man who actually walked with Jesus? And Polycarp was one of them.

At 86 years old, the Romans captured him and said to him, “Polycarp, you are an old man.

We don’t want to hurt you. Just deny Christ, acknowledge the gods of Rome and we will let you go.”

And this was his reply:

“Eighty and six years, I have served Him and He never did me any injury.

How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

And with that, they burnt him at the stake.

I want to tell you that Jesus will never leave you, and He will never forsake you.

If Polycarp at 86 years old could say, “I would rather die than deny my Christ, you and I also need to remember, we have a Helper, we have a Friend, who will be with us continually, and He is coming back very soon, to take us to be with Him, in peace and joy in eternity in Heaven, for ever.

Be encouraged.