The God of our help: The source of your help matters a lot – Part 2

CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK
[I] HE is the Sovereign LORD: As the Sovereign Lord, He is God over all, and has His plan and purpose for every situation. God has the power to work out His own purposes in our lives, no matter the condition, whether good or bad. The God with Whom we are dealing is “the I AM WHO I AM.”

God is the God of the Now. He is ever present. He is known and shall be known by what He does; His mighty deliverance and redemption of His people. He sees ours oppression, He hears our cry and He knows our sorrows and afflictions. Even when it seems that situation works against us, God can allow adversity, persecutions, sufferings, sickness and even death to come to us; not to destroy us, but often to bring out the best, the gold in us. It may be to test our faith, to correct and discipline us (Gen.50: 19-20; Rom 8:28). God’s purpose for our lives, His Church and our Nation shall be fulfilled, because 1 Samuel 2:1-9 assures us of the Sovereign power of God to change our situations. This Sovereign God reigns forever and ever. He is our Helper.

[ii] He is the Eternal God: God is not limited in power and He is not bound or limited by time. Human lives, and indeed, this present world and age are coming to an end. The world and everything in it will surely pass away, but God is eternal (Rev. 1:8, 17-18). Because He is the Eternal God, His everlasting arm bears us and in most cases, His work in our lives carry eternal value. Jesus gives us help and eternal life. He gives us eternal hope by His death and resurrection. Therefore, as pilgrims and sojourners, we have the Eternal God. He is working out His Eternal purpose in all who believe and trust in His Son Jesus Christ. He gives us eternal life and eternal hope [1Peter 1:3]. God is bringing us to His eternal home, which is the Eternal Kingdom of God.

[iii] God of Mercy: The awesomeness of God is most felt when we experience God in our helplessness. “Through the Lord’s mercy we are not consumed, because His compassion fail not. They are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I hope in Him.” Our Salvation in Christ is out of God’s mercy Eph.2: 1-5
Mercy triumphs over justice.

[iv] God of Compassion: The glory of God shines forth, when we experience the compassion of God. He is not just sympathising with the person in pain or trouble, but God comes into our situation with His glorious power. When you are in affliction or poor, you may not have many friends. God puts Himself in the situation of His children, as in Exodus 3:7-9. God sees, hears and is touched by our conditions, but more so, He comes into our situation to break the yokes and to liberate and lead us out into wholesomeness. Jesus is moved by the sorrow of the Widow of Nain in Luke 7:11-16. Compassion is at the centre of work of salvation, which Jesus Christ wrought. Matt 9:35-38, Heb. 2:14-15; 4:14-16.

[v] God of all Generations: Times and tides may change, but the God of our help remains the same in all generations. “LORD, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.” The God, Who helped Noah in the days of the flood, is the same who called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans and made a nation out of him. He is the same that raised a Mighty salvation in His Son Jesus Christ from the seed of David. It is this God that has raised up a Chosen generation, a Royal Priesthood, a holy nation, God’s peculiar people in Christ Jesus that we may declare the praises of Him Who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light.

[1Peter 2:9-10]. (A Presentation of the Most Revd. Henry C. Ndukuba, the Primate-elect of the Church of Nigeria at the 2019 DIVCCON)
(TO BE CONTINUED NEXT SUNDAY)