Tony Elder, Author/Pastor

We found out that my elderly dad had been using a towel rack in the bathroom to hold onto and to steady himself as he recovers from a fracture in one of his legs. We recognized that this was not a good thing. Towel racks were not made to hold the full weight of a person. They were meant to support the weight of towels, even heavier wet towels, but not the burden of a human being pulling on it or leaning on it. Such pressure on that wooden bar might cause it to snap or might result in the brackets pulling loose from the wall. Therefore we made arrangements to replace that rack with a grab bar – a device that could still be used to hang a towel over if desired, but was also strong enough to support someone’s weight.

It reminds me of how people lean on various things for support when they are going through life’s journey, especially when they are facing overwhelming challenges and obstacles, or in a time of weakness. We often tend to grab hold of things that can easily break or let us down. They might hold us up at times, but at any moment they could crumble or simply disappear and not be there anymore. It could be a person, even a family member or friend on whom we have depended in the past. It might be an institution or a government agency. It might be a savings account or a job or some other entity we hope will provide the support we need. While some of those may be helpful at times, we often discover how unreliable they can be.

The Bible tells us about a time when the Assyrian army was besieging the city of Jerusalem. The Assyrian leader accused Hezekiah, the king of Judah, of relying on the ruler of Egypt to come to their rescue. He said, “You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed of Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it.” In other words, Pharoah was like a towel rack that will break and not hold him up. This official continued on to point out how other nations who had depended on their various gods had succumbed to the Assyrian army. None of those so-called gods were able to save their worshipers who relied on them for help.

However, in his distress and time of need Hezekiah didn’t try to lean on another king or some other god. He reached out to take hold of the one true God. He earnestly prayed to the Lord for help. And in this case, God responded by miraculously defending His people. We are told that He sent an angel into the camp of the Assyrians, killing 185,000 of their soldiers, and resulting in the withdrawal of their army.

We can depend on God to hold us up too. He may not do something as dramatic or spectacular as He did in Hezekiah’s situation, but He will not let us down. He may choose to miraculously deliver us or change our circumstances. Or He might simply give us the strength to endure whatever hardships come our way. If we put our trust in Him, He will be with us, support us, and keep us from falling.

May we have the same spirit as the psalmist who declared: “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help…Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help” (Psalm 146:3-5).

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).