4 People God Will Help – Pastor Mensa Otabil

“Whatever life has done to you, wherever you find yourself, God will not forsake you.”
— Pastor Mensa Otabil

“Can God help you when there is no helper?” This is the major question that Pastor Mensa Otabil, General Overseer of International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) sought to answer with his sermon When God Opens The Tap. The main lesson I got from this message was that God can help different people with their unique needs. The poor and the needy as identified in the sermon from Isaiah 41:18 are people ‘who have been disenfranchised’. They may be high ranking or lowly in status people of society who may have been hit by circumstances beyond their control and rendered incapable to deal with their problems. He further noted that, “…these are people who need sustenance. It is a picture of people seeking help and there is no help coming from anywhere.” Only God can help them.

In his usual practical and application driven approach, Dr. Otabil pointed out that there are four people who God will help and also discussed the ways in which He will do it. My objective in this write-up is to glean important lessons and further apply to our lives.

Below are four ways the Lord will meet our needs in every changing phase of life.

#1. People in desolate heights will receive rivers

Many times when we are discussing people in need we don’t consider people in high positions of society. We tend to think that when a man drives a car, it means all his troubles are solved. We think when a man has a business, it means he has no need of money. We think when a man is a Pastor, it means he must not struggle with spiritual issues. These assertions are partly true. The Apostle Paul wrote three fourth of the New Testament but he still had to grapple with thorn in his flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Everyone needs help.

God will creatively supply our needs.

According to Dr. Otabil, the first group of people who have run out of help are people in desolate heights. These are people in high places that have issues to deal with. It can be finance for business, a child’s deviant life, the collapse of a business, and others. They are in high places that are “dry and empty” and “experience dryness”. “These are people who people look up to, they think everything is okay but things have dried up for them.” These are people that God will creatively supply their needs even though it seems impossible.

#2. People in the midst of the valley will receive fountains

The second group of people God will help in their unique needs are people in lowly and narrow places. These are the real poor and needy in society. It talks about “people who have come very low in life”. All hope seems to have lost. They have no one to help them.

It is possible for God to step in our dire situation and cause us to climb up in life according to His own will so that His name will be glorified.

The man Job in the Bible was once rich and powerful in all the ancient Near East. The Bible says in a moment, he lost everything and came to ground zero where he lost his properties, businesses, and children. His wife left him and his sympathizing friends were not helping. At the end of his story, God gave him more than he had before. It is possible for God to step in our dire situation and cause us to climb up in life according to His own will so that His name will be glorified.

#3. People in the wilderness will receive a pool of water

The third important group of people God will help are the people in the wilderness. “The wilderness signifies emptiness. It is a place of wandering. When a person is in the wilderness, they are working and moving but nothing is happening. Life becomes like a meaningless search. The greatest joy of people who travel the wilderness is to find an oasis.” It is a place in life where productivity is low and fruitfulness is an illusion. You work so hard but get very little to show for.

The man Jacob who later became Israel was in a place like this. He went to work with his uncle Laban for many years with little wages and was deceived for the contract signed. He never complained but trusted in God whom he made a covenant with at Bethel. Just one idea turned everything for him and he became richer and more powerful than his uncle. God has His own plans that we must learn to follow to experience His pool of water.

God has His own plans that we must learn to follow to experience His pool of water.

#4. People in the dry land will receive springs of water

The last group of people that God has vowed to help are those who are in dry places. Dr. Otabil said, “The dry land is a place of dryness. It is a place where there has been no rain for a long time. A dry land is a place where for a long time you have not been happy, joyful, experienced goodness, felt the presence of God among others. You have not experienced a good thing for a long time.” It is important to note that joy and happiness for the believer is not just about having material wealth but about having Christ in our lives. The Spirit in us manifest in joy, love, peace, and more. God says He will send springs of water. Water that ‘gushes out of the earth’.

It is important to note that joy and happiness for the believer is not just about having material wealth but about having Christ in our lives.

For a long time, the children of Israel were in a dry place as a people. Through their own sins, God cast them out of the land and they found themselves in a foreign land as captives. They were not happy, joyful and they never experienced the blessing of God like they used to. But even in this situation, God’s mercy and goodness reached them and sent the saviour of their soul Jesus Christ to redeem them and by extension all of us from sin and condemnation. The Bible says in John 7:38 that “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” The ultimate flow of water to us will be the Son of Man coming to dwell in us and with us. He will deal with our spiritual poverty and sanctify us unto good works.

The ultimate flow of water to us will be the Son of Man coming to dwell in us and with us. He will deal with our spiritual poverty and sanctify us unto good works.

According to Pastor Otabil God will help us if we look up to Him. He will deal with our spiritual and material needs. His foremost purpose is to draw us closer to Himself and feed us. Matthew 6:33 says that “…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Look up to God and He will deal with your perplexing issues.

Which of these four groups of people connect with you in your present condition? Share below.