Seeking God’s Help

Welcome to today's edition of Our Daily Bread.

Amy Boucher-Pye wrote today's encouragement, and she titled it, Seeking God's Help. For five years in the late 1800s, grasshoppers descended on Minnesota, destroying the crops. Farmers tried trapping the grasshoppers in tar and burning their fields to kill the eggs. Feeling desperate and on the brink of starvation, many people sought a statewide day of prayer, yearning to seek God's help together. The governor relented, setting aside April 26th to pray. In the days after the collective prayer, the weather warmed and the eggs started to come to life. But then four days later, a drop in temperature surprised and delighted many, for the freezing temperatures killed the larvae.

Minnesotans once again would harvest their crops of corn, wheat, and oats. Prayer was also behind the saving of God's people during the reign of King Jehoshaphat. When the king learned that a vast army was coming against him, he called God's people to pray and fast. The people reminded God how he'd saved them in times past, and Jehoshaphat said that if calamity came upon them, whether the sword of judgment or plague or famine, they would cry out to God, knowing that he would hear and save them. God rescued his people from the invading armies, and he hears us when we cry out to him in distress. Whatever your concern, whether a relationship issue or something threatening from the natural world, lift it to God in prayer.

Nothing is too hard for him. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 2 Chronicles chapter 20 verses 5 through 12 and verse 15. Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard and said, Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.

Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham, your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us. But now, here are men from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt, so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance.

Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. And now verse 15. He said, Listen, King Jehoshaphat, and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says to you. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank you God for always being available to us when we're in need.

It's comforting to know that when we feel alone and don't know what to do. You are there, and you are always working on our behalf. Thank you, God, that we can bring our needs and the needs of others to you, confident that you will hear and answer. Thank you, Lord. It's in your name, Jesus, that we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.