The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7–8 (NIV)
Life can be tough, but we have a Father who loves us and is always there for us.
In raising our five children, Sally and I watched them go through the same struggles every child faces as they learn how to navigate through life and get along with others. To foster independence, we didn’t always step in immediately to save the day. They needed to learn how to solve problems on their own, but we were always there if they had questions or needed help.
For example, if my son had climbed a tree when he was six and couldn’t get down, I wouldn’t have said, “You’re on your own!” If he said, “Dad, help!” I’d be right there to coach him through it—and to catch him
if he needed it. In the same way, God is always there for you. As you do what you can,
work hard, grow and learn, he works within you all the time. It’s not a matter of relying on your own strength until it has run out and then involving God. You do what you can and keep going while trusting that his power and ability are in you.
God wants to comfort you when you’ve had a rough day. When you read the Bible, you can almost hear him cheering you on as you handle life. And like the psalmist says in today’s verse, he’s your strength and shield. You can always rely on him.