Joseph is fruitful and remains steady because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you….The Israelites groaned in their slavery and their cry for help went up to God. The Lord heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Gen 49:22-25; Exodus 2:23-24)
The Call Button
Singer/songwriter Sandra McCracken wrote about the call button above every seat on commercial airplanes. She never used it, due to shyness or pride, even when she really needed help. One time while traveling, she endured some delays and was very thirsty. Yet she didn’t press the call button. She waited until the flight attendants came to offer drinks.
Later, she remembered Jesus Christ hanging on the Cross. One of His last phrases spoken out loud was “I am thirsty.”1 These three-words in English (one word in Greek) tell of Jesus’ physical human need and dignifies our humanity. He offered up this holy request; Christ pushed the call button. God supplies all our needs so Jesus commands us to ask and receive, to seek and find our Father faithful, to knock so that heaven’s door will be opened to us. Christ invites us to hit the call button because He gives us springs of living water that will never run dry.2
This post builds on Help Me, Lord! (Part 1) (Part 2) and here are more Scriptures:
Psalm Fragments
Psalm 57:1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in You I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed.
Psalm 86:17 Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Psalm 94:17 Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
Psalm 109:21 But You, Sovereign Lord, help me for Your name’s sake. Out of the goodness of Your love, deliver me.
Psalm 109:26 Help me, Lord my God. Save me according to Your unfailing love.
Appealing to God’s Love
These and other Psalms appeal to God’s love for us, not ours for Him. David is poor and needy when he writes this, his health is bad, and he’s enduring constant ridicule from wicked people. David doesn’t brag about his commitment to the Lord, because we never love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. David trusts in the Lord’s good and unfailing love to believing sinners who depend on Him, and so should we. God knows Jesus’ followers completely and He wants to bless us, never reject us. The Man of Sorrows waits with arms opened wide to receive us and help us. 1 John 4:10 says: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Martin Luther’s hymn says:
Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing.
Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He.
Lord Sabaoth His name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle.3
More Psalm Fragments
Psalm 118:7 The Lord is with me. He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.
Psalm 118:13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.
Psalm 119:86 All Your commands are trustworthy. Help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.
Psalm 119:173 May Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts.
Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
The Silver School
Allen Golding was a missionary in the Philippines and visited the St. Louis Silver School, where craftsman were apprenticed. He admired their skill and purchased a fancy engraved souvenir money clip. Allen carried that clip for 24 years until it finally broke as he slipped a few bills into it. He took the two pieces of the money clip back to the silver school. A workman named Jacob asked if he could help and Allen laid the broken pieces in Jacob’s hand. Jacob smiled and said, “I designed this, and I made it, so of course I can fix it!”
Scripture says that the Lord is always “fixing things” for us. No matter how badly things go, we can live by faith in Christ, not fear. “If God is for us, who can succeed against us? Since He did not spare even His own Son, but gave Jesus up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else?”4
Just because God is our Designer, Creator, and Fixer doesn’t mean that all our troubles go away instantly. Often the Lord rescues us, often He strengthens us to walk through hard times, and often He gives us an unimaginable peace to endure whatever obstacles and problems we face. Exactly what God does in each circumstance is up to Him to decide. So we must trust His fatherly love, wisdom, and power to do what He thinks best. There are no accidents in the life of a Christian.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come to You with our troubles, seeking Your help and guidance. Teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Give us strength and comfort in Your infinite mercy. Make us compassionate in our hearts and minds to show love and kindness to others during their stressful times. Fill us with courage and confidence in You to face our problems with faith. Help us for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Notes (various Bible translations): 1 John 19:28. 2 Sandra McCracken, “On Earth as It Is in Flight,” CT Magazine, (March, 2020), p. 32. Christ speak of living waters in John 4:14, 7:38. 3 This is stanza #2 of Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” 4 Rom 8:31-32.