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"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. ... I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:4-9, 11b-13
Some years ago I spent a week in ICU with a collapsed lung and several other problems. I came close to dying, and when they finally decided I was recovered enough for a shower, I couldn't trust my legs to hold me up. My husband had to come into the shower with me—to keep me standing, and to help me with the washing. He is the reason I didn't fall down!
There are times in our lives with God when we need exactly that kind of help from Jesus. We are facing something difficult, something we can't handle on our own. We need Jesus. We need His strength to hold us up, His forgiveness to wash us clean, His wisdom to show us what to do next.
In this passage, Paul tells us that's exactly what we have! He says, "The Lord is at hand." Not far off, not on the other side of the room—He is right here with us, in arm's reach, whether we can feel Him there or not. We can lean on Him.
And in our anxiety, we can talk to Him—pour out our feelings and ask for His help and guidance. We may not know what to do next, but He does. His Holy Spirit will guide us. In a time that has no peace, His peace will guard our hearts and minds. We can lean on Jesus, knowing He will never let us down.
How do we know this? Because He has already laid down His life for us—yes, and risen from the dead as well. Now we know that He loves us as far as love can possibly go. Now we know that He has all power, and can overcome even death itself. How could we be safer than when we are in His hands? Let's trust our weakness to Him, and let Him hold us up.
We Pray: Dear Savior, You know the worries of my heart. Hold me up during this difficult time. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on October 11, 2023
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. How do you visualize Jesus holding and protecting you?
2. Do you have other people in your life who can help support you, or is it Jesus alone?
3. How can you hold up other people in their time of need, with Jesus' help?
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