Hebrews 13:20-21

Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will.

As this amazing letter comes towards its end, the writer prays a blessing upon his readers. He has written the letter to bring them encouragement and this simple prayer oozes with just that. He reminds them that God is a God of peace. We sense that there was a good deal of tension and difficulty within this church. The believers had not progressed in the way that the writer would have hoped and there were people bringing in unhelpful teaching, which was undermining the church and its leadership. The writer reminds them to keep their eyes fixed on God, who is the source of peace.

Although there may be many challenges ahead, the writer is confident that God will always equip his people perfectly. This is a major theme throughout the New Testament. When, at the end of his life, Jesus sent out his disciples to the end of the earth, he promised to be with them and to empower them with his Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). And when the apostle Paul declared that every Christian is involved in a spiritual battle: “against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12), he assures them that God has provided them will a full set of armour so that, however fierce the battle, they will be able to stand.

Whatever challenge you are facing, be encouraged! God knows precisely what you are up against and will always equip you with the gifts and protection you need to be able to serve him effectively.

Question

In what ways are you looking to the Lord to equip you at the moment?

Prayer

Loving God, thank you that you will never ask me to do a job without equipping me to do it. Amen