TEXT: PSALM 108:12; JAMES 1:5
"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man."#KJV
"Give us help for the hard task; human help is worthless."#MSG
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given
him."
God, no doubt, uses men to meet our needs: He chooses when, who and how each of our needs are met. He does not zero in on any man to constantly meet our needs so that our faith would not be shifted from Him to man. At best, what man can do for us is as good as a relief package. A relief package is an emergency provision made for the purpose of alleviating an immediate need. It is not stable, lacking in constancy. Most a time, it is charity organisation or philanthropists that do this kind of work: they cannot be depended upon. The help given by men is like this. To wait for man is to wait for a big disappointment or mere temporary relief: just a pain killer, he may not heal the wound.
He who hangs his hope on man would incure a lot of sorrow because man is not constant and would never be constant. By nature, he is wired to think about himself first before others...he is self-centered and does not know a thing about what another person is going through! His concentration is solely on himself: all the energy he has he would expend it on himself without having any one left to attend to a fellow man. If he helps you today, his psyches would tutor him, if you ask him next time for help, that you are using him. He would end up despising you for depending on him for your needs. Man does not know how to give liberally...he upraides, makes you feel ashamed if he gives at all.
Another thing that must be appreciated is that man is limited, so he gives only within his having and capacity. Beyond his means he cannot be seeing giving: no man can give what he does not have(Nemo dat quod non habet). This kind of creature must not be trusted at all for his capacity to help is limited to what he have and can see. He may have today but the story may be different tomorrow.
Man is a creature of constant care and need: he would be needing aids and assistance all the days of his life; this means that he would be compelled to seek a constant source of supply! He must seek another source who never can run dry! He must get to know the God that gives generously and upbraids not. It is a lose of dignity and shame for a man to depend on another mortal for his constant needs.
Friends, brothers and sisters, these are trying times, we would need for our faith to hook up with God, the only source that never would run dry! Man can never always be there for us! Woe betide us if on man our trust is thrusted.
Man can only give us relief package and that with a measure of contempt. The philanthropists and charity organisations, normarly showcase their deeds, showing how the needy stretch their hands to collect help. They go on air to advertise their giving and the poverty of their benefactors: this is what comes with relief package. It quench your hunger temporarily but leaves you less dignified and human. Is hard to find a man that would always be there for us: but God can always be there for us.
He is constant, unwanting, ineaxustable, never-wanting and always having. He loves to give and giving polishes His throne. Whenever He gives, He adds no sorrow...He gives openly but never does he make the recipient dull and depressed. He would never think a man ask too much...the only thing He does not have is smallness of resources!
We cannot afford to wait for any mortal: he may not show up! The prince of patia may intercept him on the way...or his own need may kannel and conner him. One or two things may detain him, thereby making him unreachable and inaccessible.
He is limited by time and space. We cannot always find him. An unpretentious and real turning to God is not an option and a luxury but indispensable! We must turn to this "warehouse"! Woe is he who put his trust on any man! Happy is any who makes God his trust! How sorrowful shall we constantly be when our rushing and itching are man-ward! We would be pained and depressed if in man our hopes are anchored! Like brook cheritth, time would come when the angel in the man we so much rely on would go on break. But God does not go on break: He is on site, in sight and standing by!
Hallelujah! He can prepare a table in the wilderness! He would not tell us in emergency time, "Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee." That is to say, "Don't bother me. The door's locked; my children are all down for the night; I can't get up to give you anything!"
If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? I do not think so! God would never do same! He would not be slow to come to our aids. Men would have to check first if helping you is convenient for them: if it puts their lives in their hand or at risk, they would resist all attempt to help you! We cannot trade a total turning to God for anything if we must move on smoothly.
Vain is the help of man! Why are we looking for the living among the dead? Every man is dead to every need but his own. The things of another man knows no man! Looking for help in man is like looking for a house help in the grave yard or mortuary. We must repent from this suicide mission: it is suicidal to resign to a man for assistance. It takes a man whose heart God has worked on to actually be of constant help to us. Man should not be taken for a constant source and socourer.
Whatsoever we get from men is but a relief package. The help from God settles, saddles, separates, secures, socours and saves us forever! Whatever he gives to us we can live on same for many days. He is a source that can never run out or dry! He gives liberally...He gives constantly...He gives when needed...He gives in crisis...He is our present help in time of need...let us, therefore, fly unto Him to lay hold on the hope sets before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast...He ever lives to pray for us!
"Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in heaven He stands No tongue can bid me thence depart!"
Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD! Amen!