Help is on the way! - Taiwo Akinola

Sunday, 09 May 2021 05:42

Help is on the way! - Taiwo Akinola

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My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth ~ Psalms 121:2.

Introduction:

Your exemption from limitations and from hopeless crises in life is a function of the light of God that is at work in you.

Since the fall of man, it has become completely impossible to live in this world or reign in life all alone without the help of God (Romans 5:17). Surviving wholesomely in our present estate certainly calls for help from a Source beyond ourselves.

The Apostle Paul posits in this regard that the entire creature is in pangs, with joint groans and travails as in birth-pains, to be delivered from the curse of the fall (Romans 8:18-23).

This is the manifest reality in which man finds himself on earth today, and every age has experienced the repetition of the same. However, the story changes for the individuals, families or nations that encounter the help of God (2 Chronicles 26:15).

Occasionally, supernatural help may be preceded by a general atmosphere of uncertainties and palpable fear. However, such conditions don’t last forever, and they cannot obliterate the possibility of divine help once the mercy of God is still in the equation.

For instance, the nation Nigeria is presently experiencing a time of political quagmire, economic instability and escalating security challenges, with attendant fear of danger, both perceived and imaginary. Albeit, it’s never too late for God to help the helpless! Hence, I boldly declare: help is on the way!

I do not know how or when, but help shall soon and surely become very manifest in our national life, in our walk with God, even through the valley of the shadow of death, in our health, finances as well as in our marriages and homes.

Meanwhile, the Lord God Himself shall be fully involved, and I believe He is saying to His people in the midst of these complicated perplexities: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God .... yea, I will help thee” (Isaiah 41:10).

Understanding the Subject of Supernatural Help

To ‘help’ means to contribute to fixing a need, or to aid the accomplishment of a proposed plan. Help connotes a sense of bringing ease, succor or relieve to someone in sad straits.

Put plainly, the world is too intricate for any human being to be without supernatural help. No man can survive here without the help of God, so attempting to live without divine assistance is like leaving the doors open for something tragic to happen.

God is the Real Initiator of true help, and whatever help any man can offer or has ever experienced is as near to nothing when compared with what God has in stock for His covenant children. He helps us with a view to preserving the dignity of His Word and getting us to the place of our appointed destiny (Deuteronomy 33:26-29).

The Gospel of Amazing Help!

Jesus Christ, in one of His missionary trips with His disciples, encountered ten lepers somewhere in the border between Galilee and Samaria (Luke 17:11-19).

At first, the lepers kept their distance to avoid, (in their own view), “rendering” Jesus and His disciples “unclean” (Leviticus 13:46). In other words, they saw themselves as being unworthy at Jesus’ presence. Nevertheless, in that pathetic estate, they stood up and cried out for divine help: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us”.

Succinctly, this was like a cry from men who have no right to expect anything, yet are asking for everything. Hence, their cry was ill-fated from the onset, yet it produced one of Jesus’ most amazing miracles of supernatural assistance.

Note here that there were no pronouncements that the ten were cleansed, no loud voice like “Lazarus, come forth” – only Jesus’ simple command that they go and show themselves to the priests, and that was it. Yet, they discovered on their way that they had been completely healed!

Now, out of the ten lepers, one returned, giving thanks for this gift of mercy received, and it was unto this “thankful one” that Jesus said: “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole”.

Whole? Wonderful! It was indeed an amazing wonder that a leper would be restored wholly to his original state, without loss of fingers or skin color as the case may be.

The one who came to give thanks, and was made whole, was a Samaritan, which implies that the other nine were Jewish. What a wonder of supernatural election! The one person, who should not have gotten it, did; the other nine who should have it, didn’t.

The high point here is: you may feel undeserving of God’s mercy, and, indeed, our nation may be truly unworthy of God’s intervention, yet our story can still shock the world. When God helps you by mercy, your story can daze all those who have, hitherto, predicted that hope is lost!

The Amazing Christ, Our Stay Amidst the Storm!

As we think about Jesus’ life and work, we stand amazed in every way. We all stand amazed to know that He defeated the forces of evil everywhere He went in His earthly ministry. In Him, our present help in times of need is secured.

Jesus Christ is the “Actual Authority of the Universe”, ruling in our world today. This is why there is always that element of supernatural assistance that is inexplicable to the natural mind for those who embrace a supernatural walk with Him.

The myriads of accounts in the New Testament illustrate this with vividness. In Mark 6:47-51, we read an account of a fearful event. The wind was fierce, and the disciples of Jesus had long rowed against it with greatest anxiety and trepidation, but the Lord finally came to them, walking on the water, in the ‘fourth watch’ of the night!

What a refreshing source of faith and encouragement to know that His delay is not tantamount to a denial. When trials go on for a long time, we should not assume that God does not hear our prayers, or that He does not care. Perhaps we have not yet reached the ‘fourth watch’.

Jesus Christ operated solely in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14, 18-21; Acts 10:38). We too can tap into His marvelous help in the midst of trials, by giving quality attention to pleasing the Father always, and dwelling in the presence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:1-13).

Friends and brethren, cheer up, help is on the way! The same God that helped David out of his troubles, and made him great will not forget you (1 Chronicles 12:22). Only keep in mind that nothing can truly replace God in this needy world.

In conclusion, be strong in faith, hopeful and highly expectant. Expect springs of astonishing moments in your life. Even in the midst of insurmountable security challenges and backdrops of fear, you can still experience the wonders of His matchless help.

Keep holding on to God’s promises, even in the midst of a barrage of scary news, and help will surely come, in Jesus Name. Welcome to your marvelous hour of supernatural help. Happy Sunday!