WORDTIPS: THE LORD IS MY SUPPORT
Google is now flooded with the question “When will the covid wave end?” About 43,80,00,000 searches have been done with this question as on August 2021. There are predictions globally that the covid waves will end by December 2021 and the Gates Foundations predicts that it will go up to December 2022. “Unfortunately, neither science nor doctors can offer fool proof guarantee of when the pandemic will end,” writes Sonali Acharjee in India Today 29th July 2021.
Not only is covid a problem but life itself is problematic to many of us. Isolation, poverty, sickness, misfortune, enmity, hatred, fights, insults, abuse and the list of hardship goes on and on with no sign of an end. But the Scripture says that there is a sure future for us and our hope will not be cut off (Proverbs 23:18).
I know a daughter named Princess who got conceived with her precious baby after 3 years of wedlock, and she was elated and filled with dreams. But unfortunately, came the pandemic Covid 19 followed by strict lockdowns and she could not properly visit her doctors and specially could not gain any support from her family members. With so much confusions in deciding where to get her baby delivered, she at last made it to her parents’ house after getting e-pass from two states.
Unexpectedly having few more weeks for the delivery, she was asked to get admitted in the hospital due to lack of fluids and with much difficulty she had her sweet girlie delivered.
The same night came another shocking news that Princess tested positive for Covid 19 and had to be transferred to the Government hospital for treating the pandemic. Even after much appeal, the Government officials took her in the common ambulance (108) with other covid patients in it and for 9 days not even taking another test she was treated for the pandemic with heavy antibiotics through I.V. and some ayurvedic bitter drinks (kabasura kudineer) every day and the baby refused to feed on her (may be because of the bitter drink she had). With no other option to feed the baby, she fed the baby with water.
The hospital building was fumigated twice a day, mopped with concentrated bleach thrice a day and the baby found it really hard to breathe. It was in June of 2020 during the first wave of covid and hence the frightened health officials just yelled, stayed afar and were ruthless. Yet purely by the grace of God, she and her skinny baby were tested negative and were discharged on the 9th day. After a week or two the news channels headlined that the Medical Laboratory where Princess was tested positive had given ‘FALSE POSITIVE RESULTS’ to all of its patients.
A patient in the utmost need of support and help was ruthlessly given physical and mental stress one after the other. Yet with prayer supports from family and friends she made her way out of it all and now her girlie is growing beautifully with all wisdom and strength. All thanks and glory to God and our prayer supporters.
Even apostle Paul during his last days states that none was there to support him during his trials and everyone deserted him. But the Lord stood by his side and strengthened him (2 Timothy 4:16-17).
David says in 2 Samuel 22:19, “They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support.”
TROUBLES ONE AFTER ANOTHER
CALAMITY OF DAVID
David was the man after God’s own heart and yet he faced problems all along his life one after another. Here in this verse, he mentions that he is already in a calamity and confrontations come one after another. While he was just a shepherd boy, he once encountered a bear and another while a lion and he delivered his father’s sheep from them. With a great feast going on in his father’s house, let us not forget to note that he was simply forgotten to be called back home. While he carried food for his brothers in the army, he was just chided and forsaken by them.
After his victory over the Philistine Goliath (that is, after doing his best for his nation), he was envied by king Saul and escaped death many times. Even after running away from the kingdom, he was hunted like a dog by Saul and his men until finally they were killed and David was crowned the king.
His own son Absalom treacherously took the throne, abused his concubines and even went in pursuit to kill David while he himself hung on a tree and was killed.
These are very little summaries from the life of David who faced problem after problem but came out of each of them successfully by the SUPPORT of the LORD.
MISERY OF JOB
Job was an upright man who walked righteous before God, feared God, shunned evil, offered sacrifices to God early in the morning and yet faced misery one after another. He lost his oxen, camels, donkeys, children and his own health consecutively.
His brothers alienated him, his acquaintances estranged from him, his relatives went away, his closest friends forgot him, his guests and even servants looked down on him, he had to beg for help with his servants, his breath became offensive to his wife and even little children scorned and ridiculed him. (Job 19:13-18)
While going through all these problems, Job had none to comfort him but had four of his friends to blame him for all his troubles.
Yet after going through all these miseries, God blessed Job with double portion of whatever he had lost.
GOD IS OUR SUPPORT
We live in this world amidst all these troubles with one hope that God is with us to support us (2 Samuel 22:19). He who is in us is greater than any other in the world (1 John 4:4). The unseen hosts of God that are with us are more than any army that comes against us in this world (2 Kings 6:16).
Those who confront us come only with their flesh. But we have the Lord our God to help us and fight our battles (2 Chronicles 32:7-8).
When the Assyrian king Sennacherib came to war against the Israel king Hezekiah and spoke against the people of God, God retorts back to Sennacherib saying, “Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have ridiculed the Lord.” (2 Kings 19:22-23)
Let us therefore be aware that those who speak against us speak against the Lord our God. Those who touch us touch the apple of our Lord’s eye. (Zechariah 2:8)
Our support is from the Lord God who made the heavens and the earth (Psalm 121:1-2).
WHAT TYPES OF SUPPORT ARE GIVEN IN THE SCRIPTURE?
* Food items (Grains and vine) (Genesis 27:37)
* Food (Genesis 47:12; Psalm 104:15; Psalm 105:16)
* Water (Isaiah 3:1)
* Financial and material (Luke 8:3)
* Word of God (Psalm 119:116)
* Human support (Genesis 45:7; Ruth 2:20; 1 Kings 18:4; Romans 16:1-2) – Even Jesus grew up with the support of men (Luke 2:52). God will not only be our Support but He will also be with our human supporters (Psalm 54:4)
* Angelic support (2 Kings 19:34-35)
WHO ARE SUPPORTED OR TO BE SUPPORTED?
* Old people (Ruth 4:15)
* Destitute and poor (Leviticus 25:35)
* Orphans (Psalm 146:9)
* Widows (Psalm 146:9)
* Oppressed (Isaiah 1:17)
* Strangers (Psalm 146:9)
* Those in danger (1 Samuel 22:23)
* Those in sick bed (Psalm 41:3)
* Those who fall (Psalm 37:24)
HOW WILL GOD SUPPORT US?
* Like a hovering bird God will defend and deliver us (Isaiah 31:5)
* God will send men to support us ahead of us (Genesis 45:7)
* Through God’s angels (One angel smote 185,00,000 Assyrians in one night during king Hezekiah’s rule) (2 Kings 19:34-35)
* Through human beings (1 Kings 17:10-16 – Elijah was fed by the widow of Zarephath)
* Even through animals and birds (2 Kings 17:6 – Ravens fed Elijah; Genesis 8:11 – Dove helped Noah know that the floods have drained; Numbers 22:21-33 – Donkey helped Balaam know the presence of the angel of God)
* Through nature – (Exodus 13:21 – The Lord went with the Israelites for 40 years and they journeyed through the wilderness as pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night) (Exodus 14:21-22 – Strong East wind that parted the Red Sea; Numbers 11:31 – wind that brought quails; Joshua 10:11 – Hailstones killed the Amorites that came against the Israelites; Joshua 10:12 – The sun and moon stood still on the sky, the sun delaying to set for a whole day until the Israelites gained complete victory over the Amorites; 1 Samuel 7:10 – Thunders confused the Philistines who came against Israel and they were easily defeated by the Israelites)
* Through the enemies themselves (2 Chronicles 20:22-24 – God made the men of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir who came against Israelites to destroy one another)
WHY SHOULD GOD SUPPORT US?
* For His name’s sake (Psalm 109:21)
* That we may be safe and keep His commands (Psalm 119:117)
HOW LONG DOES GOD SUPPORT US?
* From the time we were formed in our mother’s womb (Psalm 71:6)
* Life-long (Genesis 48:15 – Jacob)
WHAT SHOULD WE DO TO GAIN HIS SUPPORT?
* Seek His help by placing our burdens on Him (Psalm 55:22)
* Rest on God, our support – We who abide in Jesus Christ are the branches drawing our nourishment from Him who is the vine. A branch can never support the root but the ROOT supports the branches (Romans 11:18; Revelation 22:16; John 15:1-2).
