God Hears Our SOS

 Psalm 118:5,6
I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

In the early 1900’s, the letters SOS were used to signal that someone was in distress or in need of saving. The distress was given out in Morse code and later became the standard signal to let others know that help was needed. Even though the signal has been replaced with other forms of technology, it is still used to communicate that someone is in distress, someone is in trouble and their life is in danger. When we cry out to the Lord in distress, He sees our SOS. Distress is an emotional, social, spiritual, or physical pain or suffering that may cause a person to feel sad, afraid, depressed, anxious, or lonely. Like David, we face situations in our lives that we don’t have control over. We become anxious when we find ourselves without answers to problems that we are not able to solve. The Lord will sometimes let us get to the end of resources, so that we can turn to Him. He is there ready and desiring to answer our distress call. In prayer, we signal to the Lord our SOS, and He is there to meet our every need. We need not fear evil, for He is with us. We need not fear the circumstances that come our way because He knows what we are facing and going through. Distress is a human emotion, but it does not have to rule over us. In times of distress, He can give us peace that passes understanding, and contentment in knowing that the Lord is in control, and He will come to our rescue at the right time.

The Feebleminded

 1Thess 5:14
…comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, and be patient toward all men.
There are those around us that don’t have the ability to make good judgment. They may have been born with a disability, or they may have a lack of education and training to make good decisions. The feebleminded can easily be confused and disoriented. They often need someone to help guide them in making a good decision. It is easy to lose patience with someone who does not understand things that are common sense to most people. It is our duty and responsibility to help and support those who struggle with mental illness or depression, and give them the guidance they need to do what is needed. Patience is a virtue that does not always come easy for most people, especially those who don’t understand the nature of disability orders. The concept of equity, to give everyone the opportunity to be what God wants them to be is demonstrated in our love and patience to help all men regardless of their human weakness, or position in life. Follow that which is good and put aside your biases and reach out to those who need your help.

He is Our Help

 Psalm 121:1,2

 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help..My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

Needing help implies that a person cannot do it on their own. The psalmist looked around the world he lived in and could not find what he needed to bring him peace. All around people were fighting and seeking their own gain. Everywhere we look the world is in conflict, nations against nations, political parties in constant battle, and people seeking to gain wealth and prosperity at any cost. Help is not found in what man can do, but in the one who created all things. We need to lift our eyes higher, above the turmoil of the world, look upward, toward the hills and beyond and see God. He who is all almighty, all knowing, and all seeing. Deliverance from the chaos of this life comes when we see Jesus, and yield our heart and lives to Him. He will be our help in times of trouble, He is the answer to all the problems that fill this world.

Help During Trouble Times

Psalm 46:10, 1 Be still, and know that I am God… God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

The rain falls on the just and unjust. Bad things happening is no respecter of persons. When a plane crashes, when a terrorist bomb explores, or an earthquake destroys cities. People of all color, nationalities and religions are taken from us. Many hold God responsible and become bitter in their heart and refuse to acknowledge Him as a good God. To the believer in Christ, our lives are in God’s hands and He knows the number of our days and those of our loved ones. He is God and He knows what He is doing. He sees the beginning to the end and understands what we are going through. Instead of becoming resentful toward Him, He invites us to call on Him for refuge and strength. During our most trying times, He is our helper in time of trouble. We need to get alone with God and be still before Him. For in Him, we know He does and allows all things for His purpose. 

Help When Tempted

Hebrew 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour (help) them that are tempted.

Most of the time when we are tempted it is to do something that violate a rule or principle of living standards. Tempted to do give in to base natural desires that are prohibited by God’s word. Tempted to cast away our faith when things don’t go the way we think they should. Tempted to trust our own understanding and doubt God’s ability to handle the situation. Temptation is a suggestion that brings us to a crossroad of making a decision. Do we do what is right, or do we give in to our human and fleshly weakness? To be tempted or face temptation, is not sin. It can be seen as a test of our faith, or an attacked from Satan to destroy what God is trying to do in our lives. Jesus, the God Man came to this world to experience what it means to be tempted. He defeated the devil and is now able to identify with us who also face temptation. He is there to help us, to assist us, to give us aide when we are tempted. We but need to call on His Name, trust in His blood, ask for His help and He will carry us through.

The Messenger

Mal 3:1a Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me….

Because He is faithful He sends His messengers to give words of hope or warning. The messenger comes in various forms and God uses them to communicate to us what we need. The messenger most often will speak through the Word of God. The Bible is God’s message to us. Within the pages of its cover hold the word of eternal life and eternal damnation. Hope and warning is given to all who seek Him in His word. The Messenger is also the man of God, or women of God that proclaims His truth without fear or favor of men. The messenger can also be a friend of a foe who speaks the truth. The truth spoken by a foe may be intended to hurt, but God can use them to reveal or heal. Lastly, God uses circumstances in our lives and the Holy Spirit speaks to us that there is a message for us to learn and be drawn closer to Him. Let us open our hearts to the message that God has for us.

Look To The Lord

Micah 7:7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

We have a habit when things start to look bad to look to the Lord for help. Sinners often will partition the Lord when things spiral out of control. Unfortunately, they often forget God after the unfortunately event has past. God is pleased when His sons and daughters cry out to Him in time of need and distress. His desire is for us to look to Him for help. It is our hope that God will not only hear our cry, but will meet our need. It may require us to wait and be still. but He is the God of our salvation and we but need to trust Him. Look to Jesus, and see what He desires to do for you. 

Helping Hand of God

Nehemiah 6:9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

It is through His grace and strength that we are able to overcome the obstacle and difficulties that we face each day. The world will press us to do things that will take us down the wrong track. We must stay focus on the job that God has given us to do. Whatever that may be if God said it should and can be done, we need to trust Him that He is able to help us see it through. 

Ask, Seek, Knock

Mat. 7: 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Ask, seek, and knock is the formula that Jesus gave to those who were concern about having their needs provided. As we commit our will to God, asking becomes more God center and less self center. Our needs are more about asking God to help others. That does not mean we don’t ask Him for personal needs. Food, shelter, and safety are things that allows us to feel secure and cared for. God cares about our well being, and wants us to look to Him during our time of need. 

My Help Come from God

Psalm 121: 1,2 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 

Getting help when you need it is not always available. There are times when I could use some help lifting or moving something heavy, but everyone I know is busy or not available. It times like this, I either have to be creative or just wait for another time. Calling for help recognizes that we cannot do things in our own strength, we need someone else to give assistance. During times of trial or difficult hardship, we often cry out for help. Our hearts our broken with grief at the passing of a loved one, we find ourselves in a place where we our financially in need of funds, we have just been given the pink slip dismissing us from our jobs, or we are told that we have a serious illness,  the list goes on. Where can we go to get some help? Our emotions have been depleted, and our spiritual life is on the edge. On a hill far away in time, hangs the Savior of the world, Jesus who came to this world to give us salvation and the help to overcome the tough times in our lives. I will look to Jesus, a helper in time of need. He is all I need. As the beggar cried out to Jesus to help him by restoring his sight, I cry out to Him, “Jesus, from whence comes my help, you are able to help me through, for I am weak, but you are strong”.

Temptation is Real

Heb. 2:18  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Temptation is real and everyone born into this world faces them. Our faith in God is often tested when we face temptation. It is seen as a time of trial and hardship. We are tempted to give up and cast our faith away when it appears that God has forsaken us or does not care for us. Why would God allow such tragedy to come into my life? Then there is the temptation to give into our fleshly desires. Desires that are selfish and are forbidden in God’s word. A man is tempted to look upon a women and lust after her, fulfilling the sexual desires of the flesh. A person is tempted to take that which is not there, coveting possessions of others, and one is tempted to lie to avoid unwanted consequences or to get something they want. Whatever kind of temptation or test we face, we are not able to handle it on are own. We need a Savior who Himself has faced temptation and knows what we face. He is able to come to our aid and rescue us in the hour of our need. To overcome temptation, we must practice the presence of God, we need the Holy Spirit in our lives to give us the power to overcome our weaknesses. We our just earthen vessel, but God has promise to be with us and fill us with His presence. In the face of temptation, let us depend on His grace and the blood of Christ to give us the victory. 

Helpers in Christ Jesus

Roman 16:3 “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus”

The popular phrase, “It takes a village” was crucial in the New Testament church as it spread the gospel to different parts of the world. Paul, a man of God and the writer of many of the NT books indicates that he could not do it alone. He had a lot of help from many people who stood by him during the hard times. We like to think that we are self- efficient, and that we can handle what comes our way without any help, but everyone has a breaking point and their are times in our lives that we need a helping hand. Asking for help is not necessarily a sign of weakness, we must be willing to put our pride aside, humble ourselves before God and others and reach out our hands to those who are willing to reach out to us. It is true, that we cannot totally rely on others to carry our load, we have to be responsible to the burden that God give us and give it our best. But as we travel this earthly road, it is good to know that their are those who are willing and wanting to be helpers in Christ. 

Angels of God

Psalm 91:11 “For He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.”-

I have never seen an angel, but it does not mean they are not present. Angels are sent from God to protect those who love Him and desire to serve Him. An angel may also be sent to someone to show them the error of their ways. As the Angel of the Lord was sent to Balam to keep him from making a wrong decision. God created angels to worship Him as we read in Isaiah where angel bowed before the throne of God, crying out “holy, holy, holy”.  Angels also execute His charges to watch and keep us in the way we should walk. Angels are not human, even though they often take on human form. There are countless stories from those who received assistance from someone who then quickly vanished from their sight. Wether theses being were actually human or not, can always be speculated, but none the less, God sends “angels” to us in time of need. I don’t know if I will ever seen an angel in my life time, but I believe that God has an angel that watches over me, and will come to my aid in the time my need.

My Help Cometh from the Lord

Psalm 121:1,2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help! My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”- 

Problems are just part of life and it is so human to focus on earthly matters. By nature, we are often driven by how we feel, the mood we are in. Our emotions most often dictate how we make decisions. In times of desperations, we look around us to find a way out, or for someone to come to our aid. We forget that we serve a great God, who knows all about us, He knows the problems we face and desires to help us. We just need to readjust our eyes upward, and get them off the circumstances around us. Our God is a awesome God who created the universe and knows the numbers of hairs on our head. Help awaits us if we can only lift our eyes heavenward and trust God to solve our problems. There is no problem too hard for God, that He is not able to solve. In time of weakness, in times when there seems to be no solution, we can lift our eyes to Him and trust Him to help us in our time of need.