I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. Psa 121:1-2
We all need help
Who does not need help? If you can singlehandedly achieve all your life goals and ambitions, then your dream / vision / purpose is shallow indeed. If you can paddle yourself through the “ocean of life”, what you call an ocean could be less in size and depth than a bluish swimming pool! Even if you think you don’t need anyone’s help again, you cannot claim not to have enjoyed help in the past. If you did not, you would not be alive or educated to read this article.
Help could be in many ways and various forms. Once you are born again, as a child of God, you have to know that our Father hates His children seeking help from Egyptians. My children need help in paying their school fees and having the basic things of life. So how would I be happy to see them abandon me to seek help from outsiders who are not as comfortable as I am? Unfortunately, many Christians have the tendency to behave this way when under pressure!
Why do men go down to Egypt for help?
- Physical evidence. Who would not trust a much more sophisticated army than the one whose ammunition is sticks? The natural / carnal man would rather trust in chariots and number of the foe than in an invisible but invincible God! Until God opened the eyes of the servant of Elisha to behold the host of God that compassed them, he was worried at the sight of the foe that appeared to have cornered them. 2 Kings 6:17
- Haste is another reason. Man is often short-sighted. Many of the times, we think God is too slow not realising that it is our clock that is often too fast! Saul ran into problem when he acted because Samuel was late for appointment! We have to realise that God sometimes tests our patience by not giving the help immediately.
- Not developing our inner listening ability to obtain guidance from the Lord. Paul could have behaved like many people if he had not heard encouraging words from the Lord when facing persecutions. Acts 23:11; 27:23
- Unbelief. This happens when even though we consent that our God that is most powerful but to trust Him to deliver in a situation becomes a challenge.
- Egypt is in this world and appears closer to men than God!
Of course, God would hardly come in physically to help an individual. One thing however is that He does not like us to leave Him seeking help anywhere else. Most times, He uses whoever and whatever He pleases to assist His own.
Why do we need to direct our request for help to God?
- He is the maker of all things and creator of man
- He knows the capability of every man and would not want us to bother people who need assistance on their own.
- He knows the kind of persons that can assist us and the extent to which they can
- He knows our strength even more than we do and He therefore can determine whether or not we really require whatever assistance from whoever.
- Seeking help from an unbeliever could make them insult him as our God. They may not say it in our presence but behind, it is not unlikely that they say words like “where is now his God since we are the ones helping him to pay his house rent?” Also it could provide them an opportunity to lure us into sin and their ways of life e.g. a girl asking an unbelieving man for money could be asking for troubles
- Seeking help elsewhere portrays apparent sign of unbelief in God and belief in man
- God does not want us to get help from persons that would consequently hold us to ransom.
- Seeking help of man to obtain promotion is not realising that promotion does not come from the east or from the west but from the Lord
- If anytime we need help, we always go to human being, after a while, we may not be able to hear the voice of God anymore since we are used to solving our own problems and in fact the purpose of prayers is defeated since we would no longer need God’s intervention in our situation.
Are there penalties for seeking help from other sources other than God?
Many! Just read some of the scriptures below slowly as they are self-explanatory.
- Ps 146:3,5. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help… 5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.
- Psa 20: 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
- Isa 30:1-3. Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: 2 That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.
- Isa 31:1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! 2 Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. 3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
I do not know specifically what kind of help you need. But I know for sure that trusting in man is like lying on a bed full of pins that is covered by the bedspread. Going to herbalists, spiritualists, the occult etc for help is trading your joy and peace as they will give you more troubles than the one that lured you to them. Not seeking help from God is the major reason why there are a lot of compromising believers. Acts 26:22.
Lady, you don’t need to sleep with that lecturer before you pass. Guys, you don’t need to join your boss’ cult in order to get promoted! No man can help you if God does not. Help of man is very temporary and in fact, this will rob you of divine joys. It may appear readily available but watch out!
Does it mean I should never seek help from anyone even when I know they can help me?
Of course, that is not what I am saying. Is the Lord guiding you to seek help from that person? It is not wise for the people of God to go ahead seeking help from anyone without first hearing from God! This is the only way we can save ourselves from unnecessary agony that comes from disappointment of men!
For example and in order for them to be rewarded, God directed the Hebrew women to collect jewels from the Egyptians as in Exodus 12:35-36. Note however that if the Jews had gone to the Egyptians to seek such without divine support, their burdens would have been multiplied. In fact, they may have been seen as thieves. How can you explain slaves asking their boss to release their gold for them to wear? Frankly, the Egyptians should have perceived this as a great insult! But it was God that led them (Exo 11:2).
Also in the New Testament, Joseph got an instruction from God to take Jesus and mother to Egypt so as to avoid plan of Herod to kill the Lord. Mat 2:13. If Joseph had disobeyed claiming Psalm 91, we can only imagine what would have happened. Of course God would still have protected the One that was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit but Joseph would have shown that he was not competent to be the anointed father figure of our Lord Christ Jesus!
Beware of what and who you trust in to help you. If you want no heartache and disappointments, lean not on man, position, wealth, class, educational achievement, your beauty, popularity, caucus, club, church siblings, parents, children etc. to help you. The man that is helped by God is the one that is a sure winner! Man do fail, God cannot. I have faced enough disappointments seeking help outside God to know how important prayer is.
Would you henceforth seek God’s help concerning Nigeria? Pray like Asa in 2Ch 14:11.
And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee
Do you want to remain happy and without wounded heart? Then put your trust and hope in the Lord.
Are you afraid in any way? Please read His promise to help you in Isa 41:13; 50:7,9
In conclusion
At the time Israel was seeking support of Pharaoh, Egypt was stronger. We should never forget that the strongest man is a weakling before God. What do we have that was not obtained from God? What man has a strength that God did not give? If He decides to withdraw the strength of Goliaths facing us what can any mortal do?
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God Ps 146:5.
If you are not yet born again, the help you need is to cry to God for salvation. Repent of your sins and ask for forgiveness. If you have just done this, please contact us in earnest. God bless you.