LOOK TO GOD FOR HELP

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

FEBRUARY 05, 2023

TOPIC: LOOK TO GOD FOR HELP

BY T. O. BANSO 

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills — from whence comes my help?” (Psalm 121:1 New King James Version).

Moses gave one of his two sons the name Eliezer because he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh” (Exodus 18:4 New King James Version). Eliezer means “God his help”, “God is help”, or “God is his help,”

When Pharaoh heard that Moses had killed an Egyptian in defence of a Hebrew, he sought to kill Moses but he fled to the land of Midian and lived there (Exodus 2:11-15; Acts 7:23-29). So Moses was right to have named one of his sons Eliazer because the God of his father was his help and delivered him from the sword of Pharaoh. Pharaoh would have killed him if he had not fled.

The writer of Psalm 121 asked a question in verse 1: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills — from whence comes my help?” (New King James Version). He answered the question himself: “My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (verses 2-4 New King James Version).

God doesn’t slumber or sleep but human beings do. So when you need their help, they could be slumbering or sleeping! So how can they help you? Human beings have limitations and it is unwise to make them your source of help. It doesn’t mean that human beings cannot help you at all but there are times they cannot and times their help is unhelpful! I will rather look to God for help. If He decides to use a human being, He knows the right person to use or who will be helpful. You may not seek help from the right person.

If you look to God for help, He will help you in ways that nobody can and even use human beings beyond how they would have wanted to help you. The psalmist continues Psalm 121 thus: “The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore” (verses 5-8 New King James Version). Can any human being help you in these areas that the psalmist talks about in this passage?

What hills are you looking to for help instead of God? It doesn’t have to be a physical hill; it could be somebody somewhere. You will be denying yourself the help of God if you look to man for help. The Living Bible puts Psalm 121:1-8 this way: “Shall I look to the mountain gods for help? No! My help is from Jehovah who made the mountains! And the heavens too! He will never let me stumble, slip, or fall. For he is always watching, never sleeping. Jehovah himself is caring for you! He is your defender. He protects you day and night.  He keeps you from all evil and preserves your life. He keeps his eye upon you as you come and go and always guards you.”

Your help is in God, not in any hill or mountain or any human being or mountain god. Jeremiah 3:23 says, “Truly in vain is [the help that is looked for] from the hills, the tumult on the mountains: truly in Jehovah our God is the salvation of Israel” (American Standard Version).

Look to God for help. The writer of Psalm 94 says, “Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul would soon have settled in silence” (verse 17 New King James Version). In other words, he would have died. Look to God for help. Psalm 34:5 says those who looked to God were radiant and their faces were not ashamed.

In 1 Samuel 7, just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived for battle against the Israelites and the LORD spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven. Thus, the Philistines were thrown into confusion. The Israelites routed them, pursued them, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us” (verse 12). You need the help of God, without which you will never be able to accomplish some things. The help of God will get done in your life what your efforts and the efforts of others cannot do.

David, a man who enjoyed the help of God, described God as his help and deliverer (Psalm 70:5b; 40:17b). In Psalm 141:8, he said, “I look to you for help, O Lord God. You are my refuge. Don’t let them slay me” (The Living Bible). He also cried to God in Psalm 60:11, “Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless” (New King James Version). He said the same thing in Psalm 108:12. Also, David asked God to take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for his help (Psalm 35:2). Furthermore, he said in Psalm 63:7 that because God had been his help, he would rejoice in the shadow of His wings. David, who testified in Psalm 27:9b that God had been his help, pleaded that He should not leave him or forsake him.

When God helps someone, he will know it and others will also. The Bible says of King Uzziah of Judah that his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong (2 Chronicles 26:15). Look to God for help. Don’t neglect God and focus on man for help. Don’t replace God with anyone in your life. “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!” (Isaiah 31:1 New King James Version). Egypt symbolizes the power of the world that fails compared to the power of God that doesn’t fail.

Don’t put your trust in the chariots and horsemen of Egypt. Don’t put your trust in the creature and neglect the creator. The help of Egypt will fail. “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down; they all will perish together” (Isaiah 31:3 New King James Version).

David said, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses but we will remember the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7 New King James Version). Don’t go to ‘Egypt’ for help – Pharaoh’s protection (Isaiah 30:2). Seek the help of God. Look to Him.

Whatever your situation or your need; look to God for help. He is a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Ask God for help. Pray to Him. He will answer you (Matthew 7:7). The Prophet Micah said, “Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me” (Micah 7:7 New King James Version). Let these words be your confession. God will hear you. Look to Him for help. Let His hand become your help (Psalm 119:173a). “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He has mercy on us” (Psalm 123:2 New King James Version).

Look to God for help.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, I thank You for being a very present help in trouble. I’m grateful to You for being my help in time past. Holy Spirit, help me to always look to God for help and not go to Egypt for help or look to any other god for help. Father, help me and fight my battles. Help me, O God of my salvation; help me against my enemy and give me victory.

(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

 

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org