Text:       1 Samuel 11:9, Psalm 121:1-8

By:          Ezekiel Oghenekaro

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Michael W. Smith in one of his songs, said Hold on, help is on the way. Here are a few lines from the song, “People say that time will heal, but you know, they just don’t feel what you feel. Times are hard but God is so good, He’s never failed you, and He said He never would, He sees your tears, He fights your fears. Hold on, help is on the way…”

One of the most powerful, sad and punitive words in the English language is the word “Help!” For, it is a word that admits a position of total desperation, and humility.  Dr. James Merritt well described the meaning of the word help, when he said:HELP: is the cry of a man sitting at a table surrounded by a stack of unpaid bills, hungry children, an empty bank account with no job in sight.

 HELP: is the cry of a woman, who has poured her life, for years, into a marriage, only to have her husband say, “I’m leaving. I’ve found someone else, and I don’t love you anymore. I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself in a position, many times, that I needed help. More than that, I’ve been in the place, where the only one who could possibly help me was the Lord.

And they said unto the messengers that came, thus shall you say unto the men of Jabesh Gilead, Tomorrow, by that time the sun is hot, you shall have help. And the messengers came and showed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad – 1 Samuel 11:9.

Most people that know us would assumed that we have it all together, in fact, if you asked some of your friends and relatives to be honest and tell you where on a scale of 1 to 10 do they believe you fit in, many would give you a score of eight or higher. If you asked them to asset you financially, spiritually, socially, and physically most, if not all would rate you higher than you would rate yourself.

If you could be honest with yourself you would have to admit that you’re in a fight for your life. If I could just get you to be transparent most of you would make it known that the devil has given you an ultimatum that you are really considering taking him up on.

That married man or woman whispering you ought to be tired of being alone. Those debts sayings just get it and make the minimum payment. That so call friend saying everybody is doing it. That drug saying you won’t get hooked. Even corona virus steering us in the face as if there is no end to it. Beloved these are just a few of the ultimatums that keep slapping us in the face but I want to say this and let the devil hear if he so wishes, that if we just hold on help is on the way.

There are times when all of us in the church feel like we just can’t take another day of sorrow, there are times when we all want to throw in the towel.

The children of Israel had it all going on. They were promised by God himself that if they would serve Him and Him only He would continue to bless them and provide for them, God led them with judges who would lead them from victory to victory, Judges who would help them with the difficult decision that had to be made. But the children of Israel they wanted to be like all of the other nations around them, all the other nations had a king so they to wanted a king.

Stop trying to keep up with the Jones’s even though they look good you don’t know the what that they are going through. They have problems too, they may just be hiding it better than you, when they get ready to come outside the house, they put up for the neighbour, since they will be watching, they say stuff like honey and sugar, and darling while you refused to even look at your partner.

In Psalm 121, we see the Psalmist in dire need of help. He is at a place, no doubt, that he has exhausted all other means, measures, and methods to try to find help. Yet, he still has found none. However, it seems that as he begins to remember, and reflect upon some things, he suddenly realizes that though it may look dark, dismal, and disappointing, thank God, “Help Is On The Way!”

THE SOURCE OF OUR HELP

• He Is Our Creator(vs 2) – The Psalmist knew that his help would not come from the hills. The Psalmist turned his attention to the Lord! He knew that the real source of his help was Almighty God. He isn’t referring to a friend or an ally, but to the Creator of the universe. The idea is this, “If God can make this world, then surely, He has the power to take care of me!” What a truth! Our helper is none other than the very One who stood on the edge of nothing and made everything with the Word of His power. He is able to help you and me – 3:20.

• He Is Our Comforter (vs 3)- This verse tells us that the Lord will not allow our foot to “slip.” God knows how easy it is for us to slip into sin and into discouragement. Yet, we must remember that He is ever with us and Has promised to sustain us with His presence and His power, 13:5; Matt. 28:20. We need to remember that the Lord has never made a house that fell, nor a foundation that crumbled. There will be times when we feel like giving up and giving in, but we need to realize that He has lifted us out of the miry clay of this world and has established our goings. We are constantly being reinforced and help steady by the mighty hand of God, Psa. 40:1-3. John 16:13.

• He Is Our Constant Helper– Not only does the Lord know that it is easy for us to slip, He also knows that it is easy for us to sleep. There are times when we grow weary and want to rest. There are times when we let down our guard and get caught napping. But, not so with the Lord! He is ever awake and ever active on our behalf. He doesn’t weary, He doesn’t tire and He doesn’t fall asleep at the switch. Therefore, there is no need for you to worry. There is no need for you to fret. There is no need for you to lose one moment sleep at any time because of this problem or the other. God is ever awake and is constantly on the job. What a blessing to know that we can depend upon Him. (Ill. Lam. 3:23 – “Great is thy faithfulness.”)

Back in the days of world war II, the Germans were bombing London all night, every night. After one terrible attack, the people of London began to search through the rubble looking for the dead and the injured. After a while, all had been accounted for but one old grandmother, a Mrs. Smith. They searched everywhere for her and finally someone found her in her bedroom, asleep in her bed. They were shocked and asked her, “Mrs. Smith, how could you sleep with all those bombs dropping all around?” Her answer is priceless! She said, “Well, the Bible says that ‘He who keeps Israel never slumbers nor sleeps.’ I decided there was no use in both of us staying up, so I just went to sleep and left it in the Lord’s hands.”)

THE STRENGTH OF OUR HELP (Vs 5-6) 

• He Protects Us From Our Enemies (vs 5) – This verse tells us that the Lord is our shade upon the right hand. In ancient times, warriors carry two items into battle. One was the sword and the other was the shield. Normally, the shield was carried by the left hand and the sword in the right. This meant that the right side was vulnerable to attack since there was no shield of protection upon it. The Psalmist is telling us that God takes up a deliberate, defensive position to protect us where we are most vulnerable.

We never know from where our attacks will come. Sometimes, we find ourselves attacked in areas where we are weak. Our enemy knows all about our weaknesses. Other times, we may find that we are attacked in areas where we are the strongest. Elijah is renowned for his courage, yet he fled from the woman Jezebel. Moses’ great strength was his meekness, yet in anger he smote the rock and was forbidden to enter the promised land. Abraham’s greatest strength was his faith in the Lord, yet he went into Egypt in pure unbelief. The whole point in this, we will be attacked, and we never know where the attack will come from, but it never catches God off guard! He is always ready to shield us and to protect us from our enemies!)

• He Protects Us From The Elements(vs 6)- In this verses, the Psalmist speaks of two possible sources of harm that were common to the ancient soldier. One was sunstroke, a dangerous condition where the body became overheated and shut down. This condition could be fatal. The other was moonstroke, believed by the ancients to be just as dangerous. Moonstroke, unlike sunstroke, did not affect the body, but the mind. In ancient times, mental illness was thought to be caused by the moon. This is where we get the word “lunatic” to refer to someone who has a mental disturbance.

The whole idea is this, while we are subject to attack in our lives. We are also subject to attacks in our bodies and in our minds. However, just as God will guard us against the attack of the enemy from the outside, He will guard us from the attack on the inside as well.

Whether the attack is open, or secret. Whether it comes by day or in the darkness of night. Be sure that God is aware of where you are and of what is happening and He will always be there to protect you, to guard you and to give you the resources you need to stand in the day of battle. God is our strong tower! Our greatest gift in troublesome times is having Him to flee to – Psa. 91:4; Psa. 18:2) 

THE SECURITY OF OUR HELP (vs. 7 – 8)

• We Are Preserved From Evil– These bodies are much like volcanos. This flesh which we carry around is utterly depraved – Rom. 7:18! How can we ever hope to live for God? The answer lies in the Holy Spirit. When we are saved, He moves in! When He comes, He comes with all the resources necessary to overcome temptation and to say no to sin – 1 Cor. 10:13.

Have you noticed how easy it is to sin? It requires no effort at all. Why? 1.) We are born with a bent in that direction. 2.) We like it. 3.) We are good at it. However, the Lord will help us overcome evil in this life if we have that desire in our hearts. He will protect us from the evil one – 1 Pet. 5:8)

• We Are Preserved – In this verse, the Psalmist reminds us that the Lord will keep us while we are here, 1 Pet. 5:7. He is a present help in times of need. Ours is a priceless, endless guarantee.

 Conclusion:

At the moment, it may look like no help is coming. It may look like all have caved in. the world is no longer normal but one thing we can all confidently look at is the fact help is on the way. Just hold on.  1 Samuel 11:9. This Too will pass.

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