God will send you help have you ever prayed for God to help you have you ever asked God to intervene in your situation and assist you well I want you to look at these four areas which represent some of the seasons in life that may cause us to seek God for help there are times when we are weak there are times when things are chaotic there are times when we feel isolated and there are times when we are confused on each of these occasions we want to cry out for help to the Lord how does
he help us well I believe God helps us in our weakness by giving us Divine strength in times of weariness when our strength seems to falter God offers us his divine power as the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me secondly God helps us during chaos by giving us inner peace when the storms of life rage around us and anxiety threatens to overwhelm our hearts God provides an inner peace that surpasses all understanding when we feel lonely and isolated God helps us by being our constant
companion in times when we feel alone abandoned or isolated God reminds us that he will never leave us nor forsake us and finally when we are uncertain and Confused God will give us wisdom and clarity these examples are just a glimpse of the Myriad of ways God helps us today now on January 15 2009 Captain sullenberger was in command of U.S Airways flight 1549 an Airbus A320 with 155 passengers and crew on board shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport the plane struck a flock of Canadian geese causing both engines to lose power facing
a life-threatening emergency and with no engine power Captain sullenberger had to make an instant decision he assessed the situation and realized that it would be impossible to return to any nearby airport safely instead he made a heroic decision to attempt an emergency landing on the Hudson River with remarkable skill and composure sullenberger expertly guided the plane to land smoothly on the river's surface the successful Landing known as The Miracle on the Hudson allowed all 155 passengers and crew to evacuate the aircraft onto the wings and into lifeboats where they were rescued by nearby boats and
Ferries now Fox News reported the following New York Waterway considers it the most successful Marine rescue in aviation history according to its website many of the passengers could have died or suffered the effects of hypothermia if fairy Crews had not responded as quickly as they did experts noted now I want you to see how help came and disaster was prevented and today I want to tell you that God will send you help there's a story in the Bible that illustrates the help that we have in the lore and this story is found in second Kings
chapter 6 verse 8 to 23. now to summarize what happened in this passage of scripture one morning Elisha's servant woke up and saw a huge enemy Army surrounding the city he got really scared and ran to Elijah master we're in big trouble the enemy has us surrounded but Elisha was surprisingly calm he said don't worry there are more with us than with them the servant was confused and thought Elijah had lost it because there were only two of them in the house so Elisha prayed Lord opened his eyes so he may see suddenly the servant's
eyes were opened and he saw something amazing the hills around the city were filled with horses and Chariots of Fire sent by God to protect Elijah and his friend they were surrounded by a Heavenly Army God sent help to Elisha and his servant and I want you to know that God can send you help in the middle of your situation God is our protector in times of trouble and danger God stands as our ever-present Shield just as a loving parent would guard their child from harm our heavenly father keeps watch over us day and night
God is our comforter in moments of sorrow and grief God tenderly wraps his arms around us offering Solace and peace he is the source of our strength when we are weak providing a shoulder to lean on and a listening ear to hear our prayers God is our guide amid life's uncertainties God acts as our faithful guide lighting our path and leading us towards righteousness God is our provider in times of need God graciously provides for his children ensuring that we lack no good thing in every aspect of life he stands as our protector comforter guide
and provider when we feel lost afraid or uncertain we need only turn to him in prayer and faith for he is ever ready to extend his loving hand you may have heard the saying life is a roller coaster it may sound a little cliche but there is truth to this phrase life is made up of good times and hard times we experience both its highs and lows as Christians we are not immune to the hardships of life and in fact many would argue that we face more hardships than non-christians after all the Bible does say
many are the afflictions of the righteous the Lord delivers him out of them all in Psalm 34 Verse 19. take note there how the Bible says many are the afflictions now I'm telling you this not so that you would be discouraged but rather so that you would be grounded in your perspective loving Jesus Christ living for Jesus Christ doesn't mean you'll have a life free from any problems equally when You Face challenges or pain this doesn't mean the lord loves you any less than someone else you see God doesn't promise us a life devoid of
suffering pain problems or difficult situations as a matter of fact he tells us the opposite in John 16 33 Jesus tells us that in the world we will have troubles or tribulation and in many other passages throughout scripture we are reminded by the apostles as well as Jesus himself the Christians will suffer be persecuted face many trials and so on they don't tell us this so that we could be miserable or feel anxious but to remind us of our reality and to encourage us to stay strong in our faith after Jesus warns us of the
many troubles we are to face in the same verse He commands us to be of good cheer for he has overcome the world and so I may not know what you're going through but be of good cheer because in Jesus you are an overcomer things may be tough right now but be of good cheer have faith in the Lord and He will see you through maybe in a dark place right now but be of good cheer keep holding on to Jesus there is light at the end of the tunnel not only does God want us
to be of good cheer but he also wants us to turn to him in prayer during difficult times in fact tough times can motivate us or prompt us to pursue God through prayer more passionately and desperately when we are in any kind of trouble we tend to become aware of how weak and limited we are on our own we feel helpless we realize how much we need the Lord to intervene when you're in a difficult place you will find that you are desperate for God's presence so that you can draw from his strength on the
other hand we can sometimes be so weighed down by our burdens and problems that we don't have the energy or motivation to approach the Lord in prayer but that is just Satan trying to do all that he possibly can to keep us miserable and without hope he doesn't want us to seek God and he doesn't want God to help us out of our dire situation don't be deceived by him when hardships come your way go to the one who can rescue you go back to your first love seek him through prayer James 5 13 gives
us the best advice here the Apostle James gives this piece of advice is anyone among you suffering then he must pray the Bible is filled with examples of God's people praying through very difficult times in their lives Hezekiah is one example Isaiah prophesied that Hezekiah was going to die soon he even asked him to prepare for his imminent death can you imagine how Hezekiah felt at that moment being told by a prophet that he was about to die if he were to tear his clothes and put ashes on his head nobody could even blame him
but what did he do instead Isaiah 38 verse 2 says that Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the Lord you know what the Lord heard hezekiah's prayer the Lord saw his tears and extended his life by another 15 years another similar example is Hannah a woman who was barren she desperately longed for a son to the point where she would weep continually and wouldn't eat for a long time even her husband noticed it and was very concerned for her one day in the bitterness of her soul she went to the temple
and prayed to the Lord weeping in anguish she brought her request to the Lord pouring her heart out to him and asking him to Grant her a male child vowing that she would dedicate his whole life to serving the lord God hurt her too and granted her petition a son named Samuel who became one of the greatest Prophets the apostles had their fair share of sufferings and hardships too in Acts 16 Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for preaching about Jesus guess what they did they prayed and sang hymns to God while they were
imprisoned the prisoners heard them and the Earth quaked underneath them loosing their chains all these events led to the prison guard and his family believing in Jesus and therefore finding salvation as well as the apostles later being released from prison what a testament to the power of prayer so if Hezekiah could pray after a death sentence and Hannah dared to ask God to open her womb and Paul and Silas praised God during their imprisonment after they had been beaten what's stopping us from praying when we Face difficult situations all these people were pushed to pray
because of the trials they went through and the obstacles they faced let us be encouraged to do the same when we encounter tough times let us not be so overwhelmed to the point where we feel hopeless and discouraged let us not run away from our problems but instead run to him let's run to Jesus Christ run to the one who has overcome the world the one who is our refuge and strength the one who tells us to call upon him in the day of trouble the one who rescues us the one who heals all our
wounds and diseases we need to seek Him in all circumstances especially through life's hardships Jesus Christ is our comforter in a very present help in times of trouble the only help that we would ever need yes as humans we still have feelings and emotions nobody can deny that God doesn't expect us to be laughing and dancing all the time but what he does want from us Is our commitment to him what God does want from us is faith he wants us to be so invested in him that we run to him first when troubles come
our way God shouldn't be our last resort but our first choice in all situations and all those negative feelings and thoughts that we have when we are going through rough patches prayer helps to change them too Paul advises Us in Philippians 4 verse 6 to 7 to be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and Minds through Christ Jesus the peace of God is above our understanding we can rest assured
knowing that whatever burdens hardships problems or troubles we face we can lay them at the foot of the cross lay them all down at Jesus's feet and watch all your worries begin to fade away and be replaced by his incredible peace now we all have that one Bible verse that one passage of scripture that speaks to us like no other and for me I find psalm 16 verse 8 to be that one Bible verse that I can always turn to and this verse says I have set the lord always before me because he is at
my right hand I shall not be moved many times when I have been afraid I have held on to this word many times when I have been wrestling with uncertainty I have turned to Psalm 16 verse 8 and this is how I apply the verse in my life I have set the lord always before me in other words God orders my steps the Lord goes ahead of me to clear my path or rather God is in front of me he is already in my future and when it says because he is at my right hand
I shall not be moved I claim and declare that the Lord is by my side I am Anchored In Jesus I am rooted in Jesus I am joined with him and therefore I cannot be moved I will not be shaken not because of my own strength or might but because of the one who lives inside my heart so I would like to offer some advice to you today find your scripture find a passage in the Bible that speaks to your heart find a verse to hold on to Psalm 16 verse 8 gives me hope because
I can say whatever the future holds whatever is in store for me I have set the lord always before me If Tomorrow Comes If Tomorrow Never Comes I have set the lord always before me if my friends leave me and abandon me in the near future if my boss at work doesn't honor his promises if my pastor Falls from Grace I will not be moved or shaken because I have set the lord always before me so I encourage you to do the same find your verse find the verse that will shift your focus from the
problem in front of you to The God Who has promised to fight your battles the word of God is there to offer us Direction it's there to inspire and strengthen our faith if you've ever seen someone with bad eyesight you'll find that the simplest of activities will become difficult now a Christian who hasn't got the word of God in them is like a person with bad eyesight without the word of God you have no idea the protection you've been given without the word of God you cannot see that you've been offered peace Beyond understanding the
word of God reveals things to you you begin to see the devil for who and what he really is a deceiver and the father of all lies you begin to see The Passion of Christ the love and passion that led him to be wounded for our transgressions to be bruised for our iniquities the chastisement for our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed the word of God reveals all of that the word of God is sight to a Christian this is why it's important that you obey Joshua 1 verse 8 which
says this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success you must meditate on the word so that you can keep your eyes on the Lord when you have the word hidden in your heart you will always have a reason to say it Is Well With Me foreign if you're struggling and can't seem to find a
way out of the mess you're in fix your sight keep your eyes on Jesus and on his word whether the economy is good or not whether my friends are there or if they have abandoned me your eyes are to always be on the word of the Lord if you were asked these three questions about the word of God how are you using it how well do you know it and how are you being changed by it what would your response be to those three questions when we make it a practice a routine to read the
Bible we are spending quality time with our heavenly father we are in effect reading the letter he wrote for us the word of God changes us it cuts through every thought and every attitude how do you know if you're doing something right hold it up against the word of God second Timothy 3 16 says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness God speaks in his word for us to be corrected for us to know the ways of righteousness for us to know
how to navigate this life [Music] the Bible tells us John 1 verse 1 in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God the word of God has been there from the beginning of time as we know it and the Bible is very clear the word was with God and the Word was God and when you see the Bible as God's own words then Hebrews 4 12 makes sense for the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the division of
Soul and Spirit and of joints and Marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart and here's why we need to take the word of God seriously and every aspect of Our Lives the characteristics of the word of God is that it is living it has life it brings life and it is life to the believer God is the giver and source of life the source of eternal life therefore his word is just that so how do you say you're a Christian but not have the word of God in you you
don't have life if it's not in you and I mean when it's really in you not just memorized but when it tells you no that's fornication when it tells you no that's pride no that's stealing it corrects you when it's really in you just like fire his word can refine you of all impurities just like a hammer it destroys evil and builds and strengthens a Godly character in your life just like a mirror it exposes our blemishes against the true likeness of Christ just like a lamp and a light that guides us and gives us
Direction in life just like food it provides nourishment man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God the word of God cleanses and washes over your life it helps you to renew your mindset let's be encouraged to take the word of the Lord more seriously apply it to your life so that you may have Direction nourishment and strength my brothers and sisters Sons and Daughters of God we need to speak God's word over our lives Romans 15 verse 13 says may the god of Hope fill you with all joy and
peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit so you and I should be speaking this verse over our lives and saying the god of Hope fills me with all joy and peace because I trust in him and I declare that my life overflows with Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit Isaiah 26 verse 3 says you will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you make that verse yours and apply it to your own life I am
steadfast of mine God does keep me in perfect peace because I trust in him Psalms 103 verse 1 to 5 says praise the Lord my soul all my inmost being praise His holy name praise the Lord my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases who redeems your life from the pit and crowned you with love and compassion who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles
