Christians are dependent upon the direct input of God’s resources to help walk the life of faith. The Bible is replete with examples of people just like us who called out to the Lord for help and God responded by supplying their needs. Scripture exhorts us to bring our needs to God in all circumstances. Therefore, understanding our calls for help and God’s responses, is critical for affirming our faith and empowering our grateful responses.
Imperfect David was often his own worst enemy. Consequently, he realised his need of God’s help. In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears (Psalm 18:6). We also need God’s help constantly. And there are those desperate times when we cry out in utter despair. In those times of extremity, having exhausted all personal resources, when self-reliance has failed, we call for mercy to be dispatched by the sovereign God of heaven. Be assured, the King of kings hears you. Your voice has a hearing in the ears of the Almighty.
Scripture records many forms of help which God dispatches. He is remarkably resourceful at assembling multi-faceted packages which not only meet our immediate needs, but also achieve a host of other God honouring purposes. We are often narrow in the scope of our requests, and understandably, because our prayers are usually driven by specific needs. Thankfully, God answers our requests according to a broader criteria, a wider set of requirements and desires. He wholly understands our lives and His integration of us into His Kingdom and the ongoing building of His Church. Therefore, His responses are designed to help us within an eternal framework which we are unable to see except through the eyes of Scripture.
That said, usually the Lord employs His people to administer His help on His behalf. This begins with praying for one another. Paul explained this to the Corinthians; You also must help us by prayer… (2 Corinthians 1:11). Prayer awakens us to the God created opportunities for us to dispatch His help on His behalf. Practically speaking, believers should devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful (Titus 3:14). We are to prioritise as God prioritises, maximising the benefits for those we help.
However, there are times when only God’s direct sovereign intervention can help. Before his death, Moses addressed Israel. He reminded them of the incomparable nature of God. There is none like God… who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. 27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms… (Deuteronomy 33:26-27). Like Israel, and regardless of our often-clouded perception, we are never outside of God’s loving embrace. Whether we visually see God’s powerful manoeuvres or not, by faith we can observe His interactions with the events of our lives to accomplish His will and to administer our much-needed help.
God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3), from where He dispatches His graces in conformity to His will and our needs. He consistently does this to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6). The Lord’s help is diverse, timely, and compassionate. His help is always according to the riches of his glory and equips you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16).