When you need to yell "Help!!"
My grandboy loves to climb. If he finds a tree with climbable branches, he is up there. But on a recent day I heard a frantic “Jeedoo!” coming from the tree. His foot was caught in the branches and that boy needed Help!A popular beach activity these days is “tunneling.” Teens especially like to dig deep holes in the sand, going down as deep as 8 feet. Sand, being inherently unstable, sometimes collapses, burying the tunneler. A Santa Monica teen yelled “Help” recently as sand covered him. It took 25 minutes to dig him out: He was fortunate there was help nearby. Many tunnelers die.Surely, when the mine collapsed on 33 Chilean miners, their first desire was for “Help." But help was slow in coming. For 17 days rescuers assumed the miners were dead. When it was discovered they were still alive, it was still almost two months before they were brought to the surface. All of us have times in our lives when all we can say is “Help!!” When we know God, our cry is more likely “Help, Lord.” “Help, Lord!” is the right thing to say. For our God has called Himself Elohim Ezer, God our Helper: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).“The other was named Eliezer, for he said, ‘The God of my father was my help…’” (Exodus 18:4)“Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us.’” (1 Samuel 7:12)“…so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You…." (2 Chronicles 14:11)Ezer is a powerful word, with military connotations. It implies that God is a strong Helper. He is in the battle with us. He enables us to be strong and will enable us to stand strong in our battles. He rescues us from our own choices, the actions of others that threaten us, or just from the daily risks of life.God also helps us in many other ways: He gives wisdom. He enables us to love with unconditional love. He helps us to persevere.The name of Ezer is used often in Scripture to assure us of God’s always available help: “We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield” (Psalms 33:20).And the writer of Hebrews reiterates this truth about our God: “So we say with confidence. ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can human beings do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:6).How wonderful to have such a Helper as our God for every need!Here are some ways to call on God your Helper!
- Thank Him for all the ways He has helped you in the past week.
- Acknowledge that you know He is able to come to your rescue no matter how deep the hole you are in.
- Ask Him for wisdom in whatever need you have right now.
Add some more of your own: How has God helped you? Tell us about it with a comment.This post is one of a series from His Name Is a Promise: Praying the Names of God.C2011 Judy Douglass