Help from God to This Day

Better to Trust in the Lord

☐

Paul stood before a king, a governor and the important men of Caesarea. He did not say that a ruler had helped him. He said, “Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand” (Acts 26:22).

A promise kept. Years before, on the Damascus road, Jesus had promised, “I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles” (26:17). Through plots, crowds and prisons, Jesus kept that promise.

A psalm of help. Psalm 118 is a song of thanks from someone God had rescued. It sounds a lot like Paul’s life.

Better than people. “It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8). People can be kind, but they cannot be everything we need.

Better than princes. The next verse says the same about rulers: “It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes” (118:9). Paul had stood before Felix, Festus and Agrippa, and he was still in chains. But God never let him go.

Pushed, but helped. “You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the Lord helped me” (118:13). The writer was almost knocked down, but God held him up.

Alive to tell. “I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord” (118:17). To declare means to tell everyone. That is just what Paul was doing in front of the king.

Help from outside. Paul’s help did not come from his own strength. He was a prisoner in chains. His help came from God.

Every day. “To this day” means all the way up to now. God did not help Paul only once. He helped him every single day.

When people let you down. Friends sometimes forget us, and leaders sometimes make unfair choices. When someone treats you unfairly, tell a parent or a trusted grown-up, and tell God. He is always trustworthy.

The greatest help. Our biggest problem is not a hard day; it is sin. We cannot fix it ourselves. God sent help from heaven: Jesus.

Help with a purpose. God’s help had a reason. Paul said he stood “witnessing both to small and great” (Acts 26:22). God helps us so that we can live for Him and tell others about Him.

The gospel. Jesus died on the cross in our place. Christ “died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” was buried, and “rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Everyone who trusts Him is forgiven and helped by God.

What to do. This week, when something is hard, pray first. Then thank God for the ways He has already helped you stand.

Before a king, a governor and the prominent men of the city, Paul named only one source of strength: “Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great” (Acts 26:22).

Epikouria (26:22). The word for help is epikouria (say: ep-ee-koo-REE-ah). It was used for allies who arrive to help in a battle. Paul’s help came from outside himself, from God.

The promise behind it. On the Damascus road Jesus had said, “I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you” (26:17). Every year since then was that promise being kept.

Psalm 118. This psalm is a thanksgiving song from someone the Lord had rescued. Its words fit a man who had just survived two years of trials.

Man and princes (118:8-9). “It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.” Verse 9 says it again about rulers: “It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes.” Paul had stood before Felix, Festus and Agrippa, and he was still in chains (24:27; 26:32). The Lord never failed him.

Pushed (118:13). “You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the Lord helped me.” The danger was real, and so was the help. Paul had been seized in the temple and plotted against on the road (26:21).

To declare (118:17). “I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord.” God kept the psalmist alive for a purpose. Paul’s life was kept for the same purpose: witnessing “to small and great.”

To this day. Paul did not claim one rescue but a lifetime of daily help. The faithfulness of God is measured over years, not only in moments.

Unfair treatment. Paul was held long after rulers knew he was innocent (26:31-32). If you are treated unfairly, tell a parent or a trusted grown-up, and bring it to God. He does not overlook it.

The deepest help. Humanity’s deepest need is not rescue from enemies but from sin. No ruler can provide that. God gave His Son.

Small and great. Paul stood “witnessing both to small and great” (26:22). The same message went to servants and to kings. God’s help is never only for our comfort; it serves His purpose.

The gospel. On the cross Christ “died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” was buried, and “rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Trust in Him is never misplaced.

Application. Notice where you put your confidence: friends, popularity, people in charge. Thank them for what they give, but trust the Lord.

Renewed Day by Day

☐

Paul had been in prison in Caesarea for more than two years. Still he said, “to this day I stand” (Acts 26:22). He did not quit.

A letter about not quitting. Paul wrote a letter to the church in Corinth. In 2 Corinthians 4 he explains how he kept going.

Mercy first. “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1). To lose heart means to get so discouraged that you give up.

Why mercy helps. Paul never forgot that God had forgiven him, even after he had hurt believers. A person who knows God’s mercy has a reason to keep going.

Hard days. Paul did not pretend life was easy. He wrote, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed” (4:8).

Outside and inside. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (4:16).

Two parts. The outward man is your body, which gets tired, sick and older. The inward man is the real you inside, your heart and spirit.

Made new. God makes the inside of a believer new, not once a year but day by day. Each day He gives fresh strength and hope.

The reason inside. Paul did not keep going because his life got easier. He kept going because God was making him new inside, one day at a time.

Help to stand. This is the help Paul spoke of before King Agrippa. God’s daily renewing is how He helps His people stand.

Like Paul. Paul’s body was in chains, but his heart was strong. He was still telling people about Jesus.

For you. When you are tired of trying, or a hard thing goes on and on, God can make your heart new again today. Ask Him.

Not about feelings. Not losing heart does not mean never feeling sad. It means not giving up on God.

The gospel. We have all sinned, and we needed God’s mercy. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

What to do. Each day this week, ask God to make your heart new. Trust Him for that one day.

After two years in custody and a hearing before a king, Paul could still say, “to this day I stand” (Acts 26:22). In 2 Corinthians 4 he explains how a servant of Christ keeps going.

Mercy as fuel (4:1). “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.” Paul’s calling began with mercy to a persecutor. Remembering that mercy kept him from giving up.

Honest about pressure (4:8-9). “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” The Christian life is not free of pressure; it is kept from being crushed by it.

Therefore (4:16). “Therefore we do not lose heart.” The reason for not giving up comes from God, not from Paul.

Outward and inward. “Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” The outward man is the body and its strength, which wear down. The inward man is the life God has given within.

Day by day. The renewal is daily, not occasional. God does not give a lifetime of strength in one moment; He gives today’s strength today.

The link to Acts 26:22. “Having obtained help from God, to this day I stand.” The inward renewal of 2 Corinthians 4:16 is what that help looked like day after day: not freedom from chains, but a heart kept strong.

Mercy remembered. Paul never got past the wonder that God had shown mercy to the man who had persecuted the church (Acts 26:9-11). Thankfulness for mercy is fuel that does not run out.

Paul in Caesarea. His outward man was in chains; his inward man was free and bold enough to call a king to faith (Acts 26:29).

Not self-made. Renewal is not positive thinking. It is God at work in a person who belongs to Him.

For students. Long struggles at home, at school or in your body can wear you down. The promise is not that the struggle ends tomorrow, but that God renews you inwardly each day.

The gospel. The mercy Paul received is the gospel: Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). All who trust Him receive that mercy.

Application. Begin each day this week by asking God to renew you inwardly, and trust Him with that day only.

📖

Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.