Day 346, or December the 12th. Help is always
at hand. Our thoughts today are rooted in Hebrews
chapter 2, verse 18. Because he himself suffered
when he was tempted, he is able to help those
who are being tempted. And now the big picture
surrounding this verse. The identity of the author
of the letter to the Hebrews is uncertain. But
whilst the writer's details may be questionable,
the letter's inspiration is not in doubt. It
is written to terrified Hebrews who have turned
to Christ, but are finding persecution unbearable,
and are tempted to go back to their old Jewish
ways. They have been scattered as far as Rome,
and fear for their lives. The writer begins by
stressing that Jesus is superior to the Hebrew
prophets and to the heavenly angels. He goes
on to remind them that Jesus has lived here on
earth just like them, and therefore can empathize
when we are in trouble. And now, our action step
for today. When the great composer Peter Tchaikovsky
completed his first violin concerto, He dedicated
it to the Russian Tsar, and asked the Tsar's
personal court violinist to play it for its premier
performance. It is hard to grasp Tchaikovsky's
utter desperation when the manuscript was handed
back to him as impossible to play. As no one
had ever previously played it, maybe it was impossible.
Sadly, it took several years before it was successfully
performed, but how the composer must have suffered
and doubted himself, and he was sure that no
one understood. How dreadful it would be for
us to go through the trials of life thinking
that God didn't really understand either. The
writer to the Hebrews tells us that not only
is Jesus superior to prophets and angels, but
he, Jesus, has suffered and been tempted, and
is therefore ideally suited to help and support
us. Remember you are not alone, and you are not
going through anything that God doesn't fully
understand, and therefore can't empathize with
you. Jesus has been there before you, and is
waiting to hold your hand.