June 9, 2013 – Pastor Tim – “Gimme A Hand”
Psalm 19:169-173,
169 Let my cry come before You, O Lord;
Give me understanding according to Your word.
170 Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
171 My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
173 Let Your hand become my help,
For I have chosen Your precepts.
Verse 173 says, Let Your hand become my help. There are times in difficult situations, when we’ve over-estimated our abilities, and sometimes we’ve even put ourselves or our loved ones in jeopardy. Sometimes we can’t “un-ring” the bell and we just need help. Perhaps we find ourselves in one of these places today.
Illustrations:
- Ever been swimming or fishing and found yourself in a strong current and needed help to get out?
- Jeremiah at Eel River when he was 5 or 6 yrs old…
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (NLT)
“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
The world speaks about the survival of the fittest, but God gives power to the faint and He gives might to those who have no strength. He perfects His strength in weakness; He uses the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are. (I take pleasure…)
There is help nearby, a Friend much stronger than you and I—whose hand can hold us.
Psalm 139:7-12,
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
When adversity strikes us, God is ready to strengthen us.
The Psalmist also says of God in Psalms 89:13, You have a mighty arm; Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand. You can call out to God, “Give me a hand!” And He will rush to your side.
Joshua 3:17, “Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”
The path of the child of God from the wilderness to Canaan was for them “facing the impossible.” John 4:10 (NLT), Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” For us to face Jesus (with our life) may seem impossible. We may feel like we’ve sinned to the point where it is impossible for Jesus to forgive us. However, the Lord Jesus declares this truth, that, however subtle, however strong it may be, there is no attack of Satan (the enemy) on the child of God but first has struck the heart of the Lord. Hebrews 4:15, For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. He overcame it at the Cross, and He bids us, His Children, to get a clear view of Him, to face again the impossibility that we have faced so often and say “in Him I can do all things.” In that moment the roar of Jordan will be silent, its violence in check, and we will go though on dry land.
In Genesis 50:20, Joseph said to his brothers, “ You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”
Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Isaiah 43:1b-3a (NLT)
“…the One who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…”
Say, “Gimme a Hand” and He will.
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