JEHOVAH EZER-THE LORD MY HELPER
Matt 15:25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
Dear Lord, help me…So often this is the cry of my heart. Amidst pain and suffering I know not another word to pray but HELP. To the very Source I go, believing He is able to give and fully expecting He will bestow it.
As I look into the prayer life of the Canaanite woman I cant help but see that she is at the best place she could be; at the feet of Jesus. Interestingly enough her initial prayer was not answered, but she did not stop there. As she drew closer to Jesus, her prayer grew shorter.
I like how Spurgeon said it, “I think when prayers grow shorter they grow stronger. This woman had no need to omit any of her words, for she was not in a state of mind to utter a sentence that could be pruned of a single word. There is not a syllable to spare, the words are all short, simple,living,burning, from the first one to the last.” – “Lord, help me.”
This woman’s child had a need for the healing touch of Jesus. Some Bible scholars suggest the woman had a choice to go to a pagan god of healing just a few miles down the road, but instead she went to Jesus. This takes me back to a day when I was faced with where I would turn for help in a time of suffering. My oldest son turned 18 and was at a crossroads needing to make some decisions about his life. Watching him go down a path of destruction and turning away from that which he had been taught as a child was excruciating. The consequences that came from his choices brought me to a place of utter hopelessness and helplessness. For a brief period of time I relied on myself and turned to people, searching for answers and healing that could only come from our Lord, Jehovah Ezer.
God used this time in my life to grow my relationship with Him. I came to know Him in a deeper more intimate way. My faith and trust in God was strengthened. His living, breathing promises sustained me, He answered my cry for help. He is ever faithful. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. I know that when I am faced with difficulty or distress I can trust Him. Remembering what He has done in my life, I can call upon His name with confidence.
As people in need, we will seek help from somewhere. Where does our source of help come from? When we are faced with a difficulty do we turn to human resources; family,self help books, ourselves? Or do we turn to a divine source? The psalmist looked to God as an ultimate source of help. We will find God’s wisdom, God’s power, God’s perspective, God’s instruction, God’s promises and God’s plan when He is our Helper.
God is our helper, Jehovah Ezer. Call upon Him in prayer with expectation and confidence. There you will find comfort and joy.
“Dear Lord, help us…”