Where Our Help Comes From

Where do we turn for help when we need it? In Psalm 121:1 the question is asked “I lift up my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come?” In the Ancient near East, pagan shrines and temples were placed on the tops of hills. So, when the psalmist poses this question, they are asking, “Does my help come from these various false gods?” This is obviously not where our help comes from, but how often do we turn to things which promise to give us the hope we need but do not actually have the power to do so? We turn to a wide variety of “false gods” when we are in need of help. In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul instructs Timothy to teach those in his church who are wealthy to be careful not to turn to their wealth for what it cannot give. He says, “As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” Unfortunately, many people falsely believe that material wealth is where their help comes from. Many people expend a lot of energy thinking about wealth from that perspective. As we will see in the weeks to come, God blesses us with more than we need for a purpose. When we understand that the help we need in life comes from God and not from wealth, we are then able to “take hold of life that really is life” (1 Timothy 6:19). I pray that as we continue to dig into 1 Timothy 9:17-19 over the next couple weeks, we will be blessed with a deeper confidence in the Lord’s provision and a healthier understanding of where our help comes from.