John Stanko

"Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death" - Psalm 94:16-17.

The psalmist was in trouble and danger, and he asked a rhetorical question for which there was only one answer: the Lord. The writer raised a good point that no one can take the place of the Lord or be as faithful or loyal as He is. Men and women will often disappoint you, but the Lord will not. Paul, Jesus, David, Joseph, Daniel, and others had people fail and even betray them, which only made their commitment to God that much stronger as their only source of help and strength. Given this truth, God still requires you to give yourself to others in friendship and service, realizing that they may not reciprocate and often disappoint you. Jesus is your example in this, for He certainly served people but kept His expectations in His Father: "But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person" (John 2:24-25). Are you dealing with disappointment over a betrayal of friendship or unmet expectations where another person is concerned? Do you see that God may be showing you not to put unrealistic trust in others, but to properly place all your trust in Him?

Today's reading - Psalms 91-95