GOD
IS OUR ABUNDANT HELPER
Introduction: Who would have
thought when waking up in the morning, a short 30-minute visit to the PCP’s
office, would end up in the E.R. for 30 hours? My Monday started regularly with
a quick workout at the Gym. I went to see my PCP for a regular health check-up.
During that time, my PCP noticed that I was having Atrial Fibrillation and
called for an ambulance to rush me to the Emergency Room. At first, I was
surprised, shocked, and afraid by the sudden turn of events. Could this be my
last moment! Would I ever see my wife and children again? And so on, my
thoughts went. For the first time, I felt death was glaring at me, and my time
had come.
From
the Ambulance, I cried out to the Lord to protect me and give me another chance
to live. Amazingly, I sensed the presence of God assuring me I would be OK. As
I reached the E.R., I sensed as if everyone was ready to play with my heart to
find out what was going on. Series of blood tests and EKGs were performed to
confirm the baseline of my heart’s rhythm.
The
next day they put me through a nuclear stress test and echocardiogram to
ascertain if there was any damage done to my heart during the whole process.
After a thirty-hour uncertain and frightening encounter with death, my cardiologist
said everything was normal, and I could go home and resume my normal
activities. Those were the sweetest words of assurance.
My
wife and I praised God for giving me a fresh lease of life. While I was going
through this whole ordeal, God spoke to me through Psalm 118: 16-17, “The
strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the
Lord has done glorious things. I will not die; instead, I will live to tell
what the Lord has done.”
Today
I am here alive to testify what God has done for me. We have an amazing God who
loves us dearly and cares for us deeply. He will not leave us and abandon us
even when you are in the Ambulance or the E.R. In the passage that was read
today; we will find out how we are to respond in times of crisis and uncertain
times, such as we are facing these days.
In
the past several weeks during our Mid-Week Connect groups, we had an enriching
time of studying several Psalms. According to Walter Brueggemann, we humans
find ourselves in one of these three states - orientation, disorientation, or new
orientation. 1. A state of orientation, in which everything makes sense in our
lives.
2.
A state of disorientation, in which we feel we have sunk into the pit or feel
we don’t know where and why we are in the state we are in. And we don’t know
how to pull ourselves out of this state. 3. A state of new orientation, in
which we realize that God has lifted us out of the pit, and we are in a new
place full of gratitude and awareness about our lives and our God.
The
Psalms give a voice to our feelings and thoughts. The critical point of the Psalms
is that we have a loving God who is watching over us and knows what is going on,
and the responsibility is on us to remember Him, call out to Him and wait on
Him.
The
Last five Psalms are known as Praise Psalms. Psalm 146 is considered a Psalm of
New Orientation because it acknowledges that all is not right with the world,
and it emphasizes the on-going activity of God in rescuing the oppressed and
those who have no social context in which to find security. With that
background information, let’s explore the Psalm.
I. GOD INHABITS
OUR PRAISES
There
is nothing that delights God more than the praises of His people as He inhabits
them. When God’s people, either corporately or privately, Praise Him, He shows
up in their midst. Praising God was a crucial part of worship in the O.T. David
places the Ark of the Lord, in a special tent and appoints “Levites to lead the
people in worship before the Ark of the Lord to invoke his blessings, to give
thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel.” I Chr 16:4.
For
David from a very young age, singing praises to God was an essential part of
his life. He didn’t forget it even after becoming the King of Israel.
At
one point, he said, Psalm 71:6, “Yes, you have been with me
from birth; from my mother’s womb, you have cared for
me. No wonder I am always praising you.” In Psalm
146:1-2, we read David’s resolve to Praise God, “Praise the Lord! Let all that
I am praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing
praises to my God with my dying breath.”
David praised God from the time he
was born, he continued to praise God throughout his life, and he even resolved
to Praise Him with his dying breath. How praising is God part of your life?
What is praise, and how do we understand the Biblical concept of praising God?
The first mention of the word in the
Bible is found in Genesis 29:35, “Leah, after giving birth to another son she
named Judah, for she said, “Now I will praise the LORD.” The first mention of
the word praise in the New Testament was when Mary sang Praises to God upon
hearing the news that she was going to be the mother of the savior of the
world.
To sum up, praise means giving glory
to God for who He is and for all His mighty acts. Only God is worthy of our
praise as He has created us; therefore, it fits for us to praise Him. To
emphasize that fact, David exposes the frailty and brevity of men, including
powerful men.
II. TRUSTING IN
GOD
Vs. 3-4, “Don’t put your confidence
in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When they breathe their
last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.” Instead of
him being one of the most powerful kings of Israel and in that region, he
downplayed his powerful position and instead showed humility.
On our currency, it says in God we
trust, but do we? We have an unhealthy fascination and admiration for powerful
people. We put our confidence in our politicians, but they are no different
than anyone of us; they too are mere mortals, and they also will die one day.
What happens then to all their boasting and plans? They, too, will die with
them. That is reality!
It doesn’t mean we don’t respect and
listen to those who are in authority or follow their advice, but it only means
that we recognize they are just humans and can only do so much. The current
COVID-19 is affecting people everywhere on all continents. World leaders are
being shaken up. People are worried about how to survive, groceries, disinfectants,
and other supplies are running out. It is a test for our president and his
cabinet to tackle this issue.
We must keep praying for the leaders
of our world so that they would seek God and find His counsel regarding what to
do in this situation. As if God is trying to remind us! Hello, I am up here
still, look up! I am still in charge here! If we cannot rely upon powerful
people, on who should we count? Who can help us? Who can get us through this
crisis?
III GOD IS OUR
ABUNDANT HELP
Vs. 5-6 “But
joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in
the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He
keeps every promise forever.” The God of Israel here is the Lord God Almighty,
the Lord Jehovah. He is also known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The heathen nations, the people, and
the kings of those nations knew who the God of Israel was. They saw firsthand
how the God of the armies of Israel fought their battles and brought them
victories. Those who put their hope in the God of Israel and come to Him for
help are joyful. But those who trust in the earthly leaders will be
disappointed.
What assurance do we have that when
we come to God, we are indeed helped? Here are a few reasons. Firstly, God is
the creator of the whole universe, and He also created you and me. Secondly,
God is our abundant helper in times of need. Thirdly, God keeps His promises forever.
He has a reliable track record
of keeping his promises. Fourthly, He is involved in the affairs of mankind
throughout the earth. This is how He shows His involvement. Vs. 7-9. He gives
justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. He sets the prisoners free. He
heals the blind. He lifts those who are weighed down. He loves the godly. The
Lord loves the godly. He protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the
orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. Now tell me who
else can do all these and much more?
This God reigns forever, and He
wants to be our God, but the questions we need to answer are: Do we want Him as
our God? Do we come to Him for help? Do we seek Him and give Him praise? Do we rely upon Him, or do we rely upon our
strength? During this global crisis, we
need people of faith; we need those who can confidently lead people with
strength and wisdom given by our Lord God. Who is your hope today?
My advice to all of us during this
COVID-19 crisis is this. Let’s not be afraid, and let’s not worry. We, as Hope
Church believers, can be the voice of reason and hope in our communities where
people are living with fear. We can share with them the good news of the Gospel
as we prayerfully and confidently echo these words of David, Psalm 118:6-9, “The
Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?
Yes, the Lord is for me; he will
help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take
refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the
Lord than to trust in princes.” Let’s give Him all the Praise and Glory.! Amen!
