Help for the Inexperienced

“The Lord guards the inexperienced; I was helpless, and He saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” (Psalm 116:6-7 CSB)

Sometimes the person we have most to fear is ourselves. We can be our own worst enemy. That is particularly true it seems when we are in new situations and have to face experiences we have never faced before and are perhaps unprepared to face.

Those of us who are believers, however, have a ready Resource to help us in such times. The psalmist evidenced wrote out of personal experience when he said that the Lord guards the inexperienced. When we go through events, circumstances, or situations that are all too new, and yet have the responsibility to proceed, we need a guide, and the Lord is that Guide. We have to rely on Him for guidance and wisdom, much as Abraham did when he was called to go to a country that the Lord would show him, a place he had never been to before.

Personally experiencing the Lord’s guidance through situations like this can be extremely rewarding and affirming. Just as the psalmist did, it causes us to want to express our appreciation to Him. The psalmist said in verses 12-14, “How can I repay the Lord all the good He has done for me? I will take the cup of salvation and worship the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.”

We express appreciation to God for His gracious guidance and help through our worship and through carrying out our commitments to Him. He has been faithful to us. And the response that calls for is faithfulness to Him. Faithfulness is the point of any relationship.

Lord, We know that we can never have sufficient resources within ourselves to “repay” You for Your goodness to us, but we can, as Your children, express our appreciation to You through worship and through the fulfilling of our commitments. May this day see both of those in us. Amen.