Dick Leggatt, President of Derek Prince Ministries – USA and this comprises his July 15, 2015 Newsletter.  Click here to receive the Derek Prince Ministries emailed E-devotional.

 

Do you need God’s help right now?  Are you facing a situation that may sink you if you don’t get some divine assistance?  Or might it be a recurring problem that seems to resist every step you take to resolve it?  Can you and I count on the Lord to help us at times like this?

In this letter, I want to bring you a simple word of encouragement.  If you want to receive it as a prophetic word — aimed at the very heart of whatever circumstance you are presently facing — here is what the Lord Himself would say to you: “I will help you.”

Four Wonderful Words

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Isaiah 41:10-14. Verse 10 begins with a direct word from the Lord to His people: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; Yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Twice more — in verse 13 and 14 — we read those four wonderful words: “I will help you.” Three times in the space of five verses of the Bible, the Lord promises His direct help.  No hint of a “maybe,” or a “possibly,” or a condition attached to it.  Just a straightforward promise from the Lord: “I will help you.”

It’s no mistake that just prior to each of those statements, the Lord exhorts us with the additional words: “Fear not.”  Here is the Lord of the universe saying to you and me: “Don’t be afraid.  I’m right here with you. In fact, I’m holding you by the hand.  I will help you.”

Don’t Be Shy

Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?  That’s probably one reason why we hesitate to ask for the Lord’s help.  Another is that we feel like we have to go it alone.  We figure, “Well, I got myself into this mess.  I‘ll have to get out of it by myself.”

This is when I love the practicality of the book of James. He addresses this same kind of self-sufficiency when it comes to our need for God’s wisdom in various situations we face. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach” (James 1:5).

In so many words, James is saying to you and me: “Look, you’re not smart enough to get through life by your own devices.  You need wisdom from above.  God offers His wisdom to you because He knows you need it.  That’s why He gives it to you freely, without criticizing you or making fun of you for asking Him for it.”

When a baby is taking those first faltering steps, and then inevitably falls to the floor, do the adults mock the child for trying?  It would be unthinkable to say, “You silly kid! Why would you try to walk now? You’re just a foolish little baby for even trying!”

How much more can we trust our heavenly Father not to make fun of us for needing His wisdom and His help.  Instead, this is what He says to us: “I’ve promised My help to you. Just ask for it, and I will give it freely.  I know you need it — so I won’t make you feel ashamed in the least about asking for it.”

Can you hear the Lord speaking to you right now regarding that situation you are facing?  He is saying to you, with great love and reassurance in His voice: “Don’t be afraid. I’m right here with you.  I’m your God.  I will strengthen you.  I will help you.”

The Promise Is for You

Please take a moment and just absorb this remarkable truth.  Soak deeply in it.  Then, go right ahead and apply it specifically to whatever issue in your life is causing you to be afraid; whatever is prompting you to wonder whether the Lord may have deserted you; whatever is making you feel ashamed to ask for the help He so generously promises to give you.

Now — based on the promise of Isaiah 41:10-14 — take one more minute to make the following declaration:

Lord, I take You at Your word.  Right now, I banish all fear from my heart.
 I proclaim that You are right here with me.  You have even said that You are taking my hand in Yours.  In this moment, I receive the help You have promised me.  Thank You, Lord.

Usually, we reserve those prayers and proclamations for the end of these letters. But why wait? God’s wonderful promise is right here before you and me, and it is entirely fitting for us to respond immediately to the Lord’s prompting. Later, there will be another action step we can take: opening our hearts in worship to our Lord Jesus Christ.

An Extended Hand

So many times in his life, Derek Prince experienced the kind of divine help we have just acknowledged.  During Derek’s service in the British army; later when his family was involved in the birth of Israel; throughout his tenure as a teacher at a school in Africa.  At so many points in his sixty-year ministry, he received God’s help in remarkable ways.

Without hesitation, Derek took the Lord’s hand, receiving His help to carry him and his family through adversities and challenges.  In a similar way, here is a story of Derek taking another little person’s hand to help when God directed him to do so.

In Kenya we adopted a little black African girl — our ninth adopted daughter.  Shall I tell you how we adopted her?  It was by divine choice!  Because there were millions of little baby African girls and God laid his hand on one.

At that time my first wife, Lydia, and I were responsible for a training college for African teachers in Kenya.  We were very busy.  Furthermore, my wife was well up in years — she was older than I.  One night at about 6:30, a strange group appeared on our doorstep: a white lady and a black African couple.  The white lady was carrying a little black baby girl wrapped in a dirty towel.

They said, “This little girl’s mother died when she was born.  A social worker found her on the floor of the hut and took her to the local hospital.  They’ve looked after her for six months, but the hospital is not a children’s home.  They can’t keep her…. We heard that you took in children.”

Lydia said, “That was years ago.  We’re much too old to do that now.  Besides, we’re so busy with our educational work we don’t have any time for a little baby — a sick baby at that.”  This group of people said, “We’re so tired, would you let us just sit down for half an hour and rest?”  They did — and at the end of half an hour, they got up to go.  As this white lady carried the little baby past me, the little one stretched out one hand toward me as if to say, “What are you going to do about me?”

I mean, I’m not a fanciful person — but it was very unusual.  I looked at my wife, and normally we would never make a decision like that without talking to each other privately. I said, “Maybe we’ll change our minds.”  Lydia said, “Give me a week to get some baby clothes and a crib, and bring her back.”

So, that’s how we got our ninth daughter, who is a sweet Christian girl serving the Lord. I’ve always been glad we made that decision.

How Do We Respond?

In any situation, God’s promised help is ours for the asking! In the situation above, Derek and Lydia extended a hand, clearly taking a step of faith to help that little baby.  In the process, God extended His hand of help to them in response to their faith.  How do we respond to such great and precious testimonies and promises of God’s help for us?

The words of David, articulated in Psalm 63:7 (NASB), give us an indicator: “For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.”  Isaiah reinforces this response by giving us these prophetic words from the Lord in chapter 65, verse 14: “Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart.”

Bolstered by the promise of God’s help, David had only one response.  He had to sing.  You may say, “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket!”  Or you may say, “I’m facing a lot of trouble. I don’t feel like singing right now.”  It’s interesting to read the preface to Psalm 63: “A Psalm of David — when he was in the wilderness.”  If David could sing in a wilderness setting, can’t we do the same?

Let’s give it a try.  Put any tune you like to our proclamation as we sing it together:

Lord, because You promise Your help to me, I will not be afraid.  Because You are right here with me, my very present help in times of trouble, I will sing for joy to You.  I rejoice in the shadow of Your wings.  I sing for joy to You, for all You have done in my life.  I sing for joy, because You have made this promise to me:  “I will help you.” Amen.

Help for the Journey

You have to know that the Lord is smiling upon you and me right now.  We have just stepped out to sing praises to Him for the help He is providing.  It’s our way to give Him well-deserved thanks for His remarkable promise: “I will help you.”

All of us here at DPM–USA want to echo God’s words by saying, “We will help you.”  One of our greatest joys is standing with you in each step you take to follow Him in faith.  We’re right here, cheering you on.  But even more, we offer a whole array of materials by Derek Prince to encourage you in your pilgrimage to fulfill His plans for your life.

Let us initiate that help by sharing with you Derek’s full message, “Total Security,” from which we took the excerpt used earlier.  Like many messages Derek gave, it encompasses a broader perspective.  “Total Security” talks about God’s help in the context of His eternal plan for your life. It also answers the question: “Why would God even want to help someone like me?”

Your involvement with Derek Prince Ministries is another of our greatest joys.  Your prayers for us, your generous financial contributions to this ministry, your friendship — these are wonderful blessings to us.  All of us here at DPM–USA send our love and thanks to you.

The Strength of His Help

A remarkable eternal transaction has just taken place for you in this letter.  You have recognized that God wants to help you — and you have received that promise with a proclamation and with joyful singing.  Through your response, you have settled something today that is recorded in heaven.  You have welcomed the Lord’s help from this day onward.

So go forth boldly, holding firmly to your course, and hearing the Lord’s encouragement from Isaiah 41:10 as it rings in your ears:  “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; Yes, I will help you.”

 

All the best,
Dick Leggatt
President, DPM–USA

 

P.S.  Thanks again for your prayers, your gifts, and your precious friendship. We look forward to staying in touch with you in the days ahead. Be sure to download our gift of Derek’s message, “Total Security” by clicking here. It will expand your understanding of the Lord’s greater plan as you reach out for His help.

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Materials used by kind permission of Derek Prince Ministries.