MAKE HASTE TO HELP ME, O LORD!

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

TOPIC: MAKE HASTE TO HELP ME, O LORD!

BY T. O. BANSO

“Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O LORD!” (Psalm 70:1 New King James Version).

One way to know the severity of what some people are going through is the way they pray. You know it in their seriousness when they pray and by the fervency of their prayers and their choice of words! It is easy to criticize people when you don’t know what they have gone through or are going through.

When Jesus was praying in the Garden of  Gethsemane before His arrest, the Bible says, “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground”  (Luke 22:44 New King James Version). In Medicine, this rare condition of sweating blood is called hematidrosis, hematohidrosis, or hemidrosis. The salvation of the world, which Jesus came to the earth for was at stake.

In Mark 10, the Bible talks about blind Bartimaeus who sat by the road begging. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing through where he was begging, he began to cry out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Verse 47).  He was referring to Jesus as the promised descendant of David, the Messiah. He must have heard about the various miracles that Jesus had been performing and believed that the occasion was a perfect opportunity for him to receive his miracle. Therefore, he was desperate to get Jesus’ attention. He began to cry, probably as loud as he could. Surprisingly, some people had a problem with that.

I don’t know what injury anyone would suffer from Bartimaeus’ cry to Jesus for mercy but many people warned him to be quiet. These people could see very well; they were not blind. Yet they had the effrontery to tell a blind man crying for mercy to keep quiet. Thank God that Bartimaeus was only blind; he was not stupid! Therefore, he cried the more “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Verse 48).

The persistent cry of Bartimaeus paid off. Jesus heard his cry. He stood still and commanded that he should be called. Probably some of the people who had asked him to be quiet were among those who told him to be of good cheer and rise up because Jesus was calling him (verse 49). Bartimaeus threw aside his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. Jesus asked him what he wanted Him to do for him and he answered that he wanted his sight to be restored – he wanted to see. Jesus told him to go his way, for his faith had made him well. Immediately, he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. If Bartimaeus had acted ‘gently’ and kept quiet, as he was told, he might have missed his miracle.

When you see people praying passionately or fervently, you don’t know what they’ve been through. Some people are praying the way they are praying because some things are pursuing them! Others are praying, looking as if they’re not normal because they are pursuing some things! You may not understand how long some people have been in the ‘waiting room’ of God, asking Him to answer them and put an end to their waiting! For some people, it is as if time is not on their side! Some cases are such that God must answer instantly.

Hannah didn’t look like a normal person the day Eli the priest saw her praying in the house of the LORD at Shiloh! She was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish. Do you remember that Eli, sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the LORD, took her for a drunk? Why? Because as she continued praying, Hannah’s lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Hannah spoke in her heart.

Hear the conversation between Eli and Hannah: “So Eli said to her, ‘How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!’ And Hannah answered and said, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.’ Then Eli answered and said, ‘Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.’ And she said, ‘Let your maidservant find favor in your sight’” (1 Samuel 1:14-18a New King James Version). Hannah left the house of God, went to eat, and was no longer sad. God answered her prayer that day. She became pregnant thereafter.

David was a great worshipper of God but he was also a man with many enemies, including the king of Israel, Saul, whom he had helped to kill Goliath. At a time, his son, Absalom, became his enemy. He revolted against him and took over the throne from him. Sometimes when you read the psalms written by David, you would see a man in a hurry for deliverance, including deliverance from sin. You need to appreciate the troubles he went through to understand why he wrote that way.

There is a phrase in the psalms that appears peculiar to David. This is: make haste. David told God to make haste either to help him or deliver him. The phrase “make haste” is used six times in the book of Psalms, out of which it is used five times in the Psalms written by David. The writer of the last psalm where the phrase “make haste” is used is anonymous.

In Psalm 38:22, David cried to God, “Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!” (New King James Version). This is like an S.O.S. The expression of danger is different from that of comfort! David, in Psalm 38, expressed sorrow for his sin. He confessed his sin, repented, and pleaded for God’s help. To make haste to help means to come quickly to help. It means not to delay. It underscores the urgency of the help someone needs. David’s language showed his relationship with the LORD.

David, before ending this psalm with this cry, had said in verses 19-21, “But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; and those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied. Those also who render evil for good, they are my adversaries, because I follow what is good. Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me!” (New King James Version).

Also in Psalm 40:13, David cried, “Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me!” (New King James Version). The last thing David said before calling on the LORD to make haste to help him, was this: “For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me” (verse 12 New King James Version).

Similarly, in Psalm 70:1, David said, “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O LORD!” (New King James Version). In verse 5,  David closed the psalm, saying, “But I am poor and needy; Make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay” (New King James Version).

Moreover, David said in Psalm 141:1, “LORD, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You” (New King James Version). The writer of Psalm 71 said, “O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!” (Verse 12 New King James Version).

The challenge people face sometimes determines the tone of their prayer to God. Don’t blame those who are in anguish or sorrow when they cry to God in a certain way. The relationship people have with God could also show in the way they pray to Him in times of need. God understands.

He understood Job and despite some of the wrong things he said in his trials, God didn’t condemn Him. He knew that he spoke in agony and ignorance, and because of His silence. God didn’t answer any of Job’s questions. Rather, He asked him several questions, which he couldn’t answer. After listening to God, Job repented in dust and ashes. In the end, God told Eliphaz the Temanite that His wrath was aroused against him and his two friends because they had not spoken of Him what was right, as His servant Job had (Job 42:7).

As Psalm 46:1 says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Cry to Him for help. Maybe your prayer this season is like that of David: O Lord make haste to help me. The Lord will make haste to help you. He will not delay.

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: Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord! Father, come quickly to help me; do not delay. Be pleased, to deliver all Your children; make haste to help us in the various ways we need help.

(For over 800 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