MEMORISE:
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10
READ: Isaiah 43:1-5
1But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;
MESSAGE
As mortals, it is natural to look around us for solutions whenever problems arise. Only a few people look to God first during such trying times. When trials and difficulties come our way, we mostly took to our family members or friends for solutions. Imagine how bad God feels whenever you have a problem and He doesn’t even come to your mind first. Because God gave us freewill, He cannot force us to request or accept help from Him. No matter how big, small or strange our problems may be, God has the solution to all of them. When a little child falls and bruises his or her knee, in most cases, the first person that child runs to is the mother. The fact that the child thinks of his or her mother first shows the bond that exit between them. As His children, God expects us to run to Him with whatever problem we have, no matter how small or trivial it may seem. The bond of love that exists between us and Him is what should drive us to think of Him first whenever a problem arises. When we don’t think of Him first at such times, we are saying to Him that this bond of love is not there.
Many times, we undo ourselves by trying to solve our own problems. We don’t even realize the immense abilities our Father has and His undying love for us. If we knew, we won’t be wasting our time and energy looking elsewhere for help. When I was a child, on one eventful day, my father was sitting outside and enjoying the cool breeze while I played football. After playing for a little while, I kicked the ball and it got stuck on the roof of the house. Because I was small, I had to move back some distance from the house in order to see the ball. Whenever I tried to get the ball down with a stick, I failed because I couldn’t see the ball when I got close to the house. I went back and forth like this until I got tired. All the while, my father just sat there as if he didn’t know what was going on. Tired and exhausted, I turned to him for help. His response was surprising. He said he was wondering if I didn’t see him there all the time while I was struggling. He stood up and hit the ball off the rood in one swipe of his hands. God is right beside you, watching as you struggle with your issues. If you don’t call Him to help, it means you don’t need Him. Be wise and hand over your problems to the Lord who made heaven and earth.
However, note that you cannot ask someone to help you if you don’t have a relationship with that fellow, and the probability that he or she will help you depends on how cordial your relationship is. When you have a good relationship with God, the moment you cry out to Him for anything, He will come running to you, and He will answer you according to His perfect will.
ACTION POINT:
Next time a challenge or difficulty arises, look first to God!
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 38-40
Luke 2:22-40
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 11: O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST
1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
4. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
5. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.
6. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
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