Sunday, April 21, 2019

Where My Help Comes From?








Psalm 121:2  "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

1 Thessalonians 3:13  "May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."

Psalm 22:19  "But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me."

2 Thessalonians 3:2-3  "And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith.  But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one."

Psalm 33:20  "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield."

Psalm 28:7  "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him."

Psalm 12:1  "HelpLord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race."


         
       The human race has developed many ways to call out for help; like the Morse code, 9-1-1, 'uncle', code blue.  Our greatest call is through prayer to Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  Psalm 46:1  "“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”   God is waiting for us to call on Him for help and stop trying to rely on our own failing strength.

        God is real, and when you trust in Him, He promises to be with you always.  Hebrews 4: 15-16  “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

      "Each one of us has a particular level at which our emotions overflow and we cry out, “God help me!” We may have just received disappointing results to a medical test or some devastating news from a family member. Our emotions are a mess! We don’t know if we’re angry, panicked, scared, fearful of the future...we do know that we can’t continue on our own strength.  Destructive fear (worry, panic, suspicion) is generated from anticipation of the unknown. We all like to be in control of our circumstances. (And doesn’t it just make you angrier when you can’t be in control?) But when I compared my minimal human capabilities to that of an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present God, I surrendered my control. Suddenly my fears (and anger) diminished (Psalm 131:1-2).  When you cry out, “God help me,” do you believe that there is a more fulfilling life ahead? A relationship with a dedicated and loving Heavenly Father changes your worldview from a temporary to an eternal perspective (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). The relationship that you develop through knowing God’s Son, Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior renews you mentally and physically."  [allaboutgod.com]

       As for myself, my relationship with Jesus has comforted and sustained me as I've continually lost my physical strength and traded it in for spiritual strength.  I'm constantly crying out to God for help, because in reality, I can't do anything on my own.  He tells us all that we can do nothing without Him, but in my case it is a little more real and obvious.  I depend on God to send me help to do all things in this life, for His will and my own.  First, I ask for His help.  Second, I trust in Him to provide.  Third, I wait patiently for His will and don't rush into actions that don't align with His will.

         Sometimes when we are waiting on God to answer our cries for help, we may feel forsaken by God. We struggle with troubling thoughts. Our hearts become sorrowful. We’re sure that we’re fighting a losing battle.  David in Psalm 13:1-2 felt this way:  How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?  How long will my enemy triumph over me?"   The needed response--Plead with God, trust Him, and praise His name.