Thus Far The Lord Has Helped Us

-December 31, 2022-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’”

(1 Samuel 7:12).

Today is the last day of 2022. There have been ups and downs, positives and negatives, wins and losses, successes and failures, joys and sorrows. As we look back on this year we trace, the flow of God’s wonderful and matchless grace. He has helped us every step of the way. All of us need God’s help, for we can’t make on our own.

Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” God has all the power and resources to come to our rescue. He wants us to come to Him in prayer believing that He will help us. The Psalmist wrote, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2). God’s help at the throne of grace is available twenty hours a day. We often don’t ask for help but try to do things on our own and only make things worse.

The phrase, “Thus far the Lord has helped us,” also gives us great comfort, encouragement, and hope for the future. Another way of saying it is, “to this moment the Lord has helped us.” He has never failed us and He never will. The prolific hymn writer Isaac Watts wrote, “O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home. O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, be Thou our guide while life shall last, and our eternal home.”

Let us look back over this year and thank the Lord for His help just when we needed it the most. Hebrews 13:6 tells us, “So we may boldly say: the Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” When we are afraid, the Lord comes to our aid. Stay safe and healthy.

Happy New Year’s Eve,

Dean