DIVINE HELP II
MEMORISE: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10
READ: 2 Kings 5:1 -10
1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
MESSAGE
The help of God usually comes from unexpected sources like in our Bible reading for today. You might be thinking that the help would come from a particular place and then it comes from a completely unexpected source. God can send help to you from anywhere because He owns the world and its fullness (Psalm 24:1). The Bible tells us in Exodus 17:1-6 that God brought water out of the rock, meaning that He can send help from the most unexpected sources. Don't think of how God will help you; just know that He will do it.
When l was to move into my first house at the Redemption Camp in 1985 - now known as the Open Heavens International Centre, it didn't have any doors or windows and l wanted to move in before October 1. That weekend, we had a School of Disciples meeting and l could have easily raised the needed N50 from my students, since they were more than fifty in number. To me however, that would have been begging. When God called me to ministry, He told me that He would be my source. I just told them, "I need a miracle". They all prayed for me and left. The following Sunday there was this young lady who came to my office gave me money that she had been saving so that she could travel abroad. I accepted the money, prayed for her and she left. When l opened the envelope, it was the exact amount that l needed. One Sunday, l saw this young girl again, gorgeously dressed. She explained that she had just returned from London. Her friend's parent took her abroad on holidays with them, as their daughter had refused to go without her. They paid all her expenses and gave her a shopping allowance. God used that girl to meet my need, then He used her friend's parent to meet her own need.
You don't need to calculate how God will send help to you; just tell Him what you need and trust Him . Whatsoever you may need help for right now, God will send it to you in unexpected ways, in Jesus' name.
PRAYER POINT
Father, I don't know how You will help me , but please send help to me now, Lord.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 12-16
HYMN 19: ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME
1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save me from its guilt and power.
2 Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All could never sin erase,
Thou must save, and save by grace.
3 Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace:
Foul, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me, Savior, or I die.
4 While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
