THE HELP OF THE LORD

Heb. 13:6

Morning Meditation 12/20/14

"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

This is a statement of faith on the part of the inspired writer of Hebrews. John Gill makes this comment on this statement: "the Lord is my helper; he is able to help, and does help, when none else can; he has promised to be the helper of his people; he has laid help for them on Christ, who is mighty; and he has helped him as man, that he might help them; he has set up a throne of grace for them to come to, where they may find help; and experience confirms the truth of this assertion; every believer can set up an Ebenezer, and say, hitherto hath the Lord helped me: the people of God are of themselves helpless ones; there is no help for them in man; their help is only in the Lord; who helps them out of the pit of sin and misery; out of the hands of all their enemies; out of all their afflictions, and 'out' of all the dangers they are exposed unto by Satan and his temptations, by reason of a body of sin and death, and no account of the world, and the men of it: he helps them "in" the exercise of grace, and in the discharge of duty; in bearing the cross; in fighting the Lord's battles; and in their journeying through the wilderness: he helps them "to" temporal blessings, and spiritual ones; to spiritual food and raiment, and to all needful supplies of grace, and, at last, to eternal glory and happiness: and the help he now affords is quick and present, suitable and seasonable, and is what is sufficient; and is sometimes with, and sometimes without means."

I like what Gill says in this comment, "and is sometimes with, and sometimes without means." Some people have the idea that if one uses means that it is in conflict with trusting the Lord. For instance. There are some who will not use a doctor because they feel that it is in conflict with God's healing grace. I believe exactly what John Gill said. God uses doctors at times and sometimes He heals without the use of medicine or any medicinal means. I believe I have had God heal me both ways. I received His healing both ways as from Him and thanked Him for it. God is our helper.

Let's notice some of the ways the Lord helps us:

IN PERPLEXITY, HE IS OUR HELP TO DIRECT

Abraham selected his eldest servant whom he had placed over all his goods to go and get a wife for Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham made a covenant with his servant. It is thus described: Genesis 24:1-4, "And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac."

The servant did as Abraham had required of him. He traveled to Mesopotamia and when he arrived we have his actions recorded in verse 12-15: "And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder."

I would say that Abraham's servant was a believer, wouldn't you? He prayed for guidance. Guidance is one of the big things that believers want today. If you advertize a sermon, "How to know the will of God?" You will probably have people come to hear that sermon when they possibly would not be as interested in another. As a preacher, I respond to a sermon on this subject. If I can get new information on how to know the will of God, i.e., guidance, I will definitely want to hear that. Most of the time for me, it is something I have preached, or have heard before. But sometimes there is a different slant on an old subject and I enjoy it and am helped by it.

The servants prayer was answered. Genesis 24:42-46 says, "And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go: Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink; And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son. And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also."

You will notice that the servant reported, "And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well . . ." She did exactly what the servant prayed she would do. I have had the Lord answer my prayer exactly like I prayed while I was getting off my knees. There is nothing that will encourage faith more than to have that happen. We have a living God, we are never out of His sight or hearing. He is always there whether we pray or not.

In perplexity, He is in our help to direct. This is a great promise to all of us. But I think especially to missionaries who are trying to obtain visa's to get on the field where the Lord is directing them. There are also many other things that God's children are involved in where they need special guidance, He will be there to guide. One of my favorite verses for guidance is Psalms 32:8, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." Next we experience the help of the Lord:

IN POVERTY, HE IS OUR HELP TO PROVIDE

Elijah is a good illustration of this. 1 Kings 17:5-6, "So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook."

Someone has suggested that because of the way God fed Elijah that we ought to limit ourselves to two meals a day! Well, I just eat one . . . from the time I get up until the time I go to bed!!! Well, maybe not that bad!!!

The fact is that Elijah had the provision of bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening. God provided while Elijah hid out from Ahab and Jezebel. They hated God's man. I wonder where the ravens got the food? I am going to venture a guess. Out of Ahab's kitchen!!! God is in the business of making Satan pick up the tab for His children. When Moses was born, God in His providence caused Pharaoh's daughter take him and raise him and used Moses mother as his nurse. This means that Moses mother got to live in the palace of the Pharaoh, eat his bread, and raise her son at the expense of Egypt. He also educated Moses in the best schools in the land. Again Pharaoh paid the bill.

We also have a promise that God will take care of us. Philippians 4:19, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." I have an idea that there will be many who read this meditation who could testify that God worked a miracle in giving them the job they have. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. I would rather have an empty bank account and God as to have a large amount of money without Him. God can overcome all obstacles that the lack of money can cause. He can make unsaved men foot the bill. Luke 6:38, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

IN SICKNESS, HE IS ALL WE NEED

James 5:14-15, "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."

The word "sick" translates "astheneo" and means, "to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, powerless." This word is not talking about a bruised foot or a bad cold. This is talking about a serious illness that has weakened one to the point of being confined to the bed. This definition is in keeping with the words, "let him call for the elders of the church." If he were able to come to church, he would not need to call for the elders of the church. They would be there. I believe minor illnesses are covered in verse 13: "Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray." In other words with minor illnesses one can pray for himself and get an answer. If his illness is major, he can call for the elders of the church because a real touch from God is needed.

There is something else in this verse that we need to look at. Sin is dealt with in the case of calling the elders of the church. Some of the time when we have major illnesses it is the chastening of the Lord. And when that is the case, the elders need to probe and deal with the sin. Until the sin is repented of, there will be no answer to prayer. But if the sickness is chastening, the one being chastened will know it. The elders need to lead this one to repent of his sin, and then pray for the removal of the illness and he will be healed. It says, "and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." I call this a life or death prayer meeting. The word for sickness suggests an illness that could lead to death. If the one who is ill does not face the sin and repent of it, the sickness will run its course . . . to the cemetery.

There are several other things that could be mentioned where the Lord will be with you: in bereavement, He will console, in discouragement, He will encourage us, in disappointment, He will remind us of Romans 8:28, in difficulty, He is our Help and will say, "Fear not, for I am with thee."

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White