Helpless God?

“The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?” [John 4:11]

This woman can easily be forgiven because she didn’t know who she was talking to when she made this statement. She sincerely believed that Jesus, the Son of God, was helpless to draw water from the well.

Most times we think God is helpless in challenging situations that confront Creation. When people, particularly believers, see situations that defy the natural order of things they immediately limit God by their abilities or capabilities. When life’s situations challenge you and you struggle to believe the word of God, where do you turn for help? To God or some other like God?

When you do this, are you not simply saying, “God is helpless”?

Examples of this are seen in the debilitating cases of poor health such as cancers at stage four. Failed organs in the body. Crippling debts, job losses. Don’t most often think there is no hope, particularly when a doctor says “There is nothing more we can do”?

Over time historically, people have had this notion – the Ancient of Days is too old and out of touch. He doesn’t understand that we are living in the age of nuclear bombs, artificial intelligence, sophisticated computers and big data.

All these are not new. Abraham thought God couldn’t give him and his aged wife a baby, so they tried to help God. Jonah felt God could not save Nineveh. This Samaritan woman thought Jesus was helpless to draw water.

Previously, at the time of Elisha the prophet, the finance minister displayed this same attitude: Helpless God. He can’t help anyone.

“Then a Lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” [2 Kings 7:2 KJV]

Why do we always think God is helpless in our situations?

Naaman was a powerful and successful soldier, but he developed leprosy and became a recluse. His doctors and religious priests could not help him. He soon heard that a man called Elisha in Israel could be of help.

When Naaman came to Elisha and the man of God asked him to go and wash in River Jordan seven times, he got upset and wondered if he couldn’t have had access to better resources in his homeland than the recommended but simple solution.

Why do we always think God is helpless in our situations?

It is not new. The children of Israel questioned God’s ability and integrity several times as they journeyed through the wilderness. At some point, David noted, “Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” [Psalm 78:19]

Moses, the man who spoke with God face-to-face asked, “Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying for me to give them meat to eat. I can’t take care of all these people by myself. This is too much work for me! If this is how you’re going to treat me, why don’t you just kill me? I can’t face this trouble anymore.” [Numbers 11:13-15 God’s Word Translation]

Does this not sound like you when you have given a situation your best shot and nothing seems to be changing and a deep frustration sets in?

Then God answered him, “Tell the people to get ready for tomorrow. They must be set apart as holy. Then they will eat meat. I, the LORD, heard them crying and saying, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!’ So I will give them meat. They won’t eat it just for one or two days, or five, or ten, or twenty days, but for a whole month, until it comes out of their ears and they’re sick of it. This is because they rejected the LORD who is here among them and cried in front of him, asking, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?'” [Numbers 11:18-20 God’s Word]

This conversation between God and Moses went deeper and revealed a side of God, which Moses had never known before. Moses queried God’s ability to provide meat in the wilderness. He believed that God had no means to meet the stringiest requests of the people.

Numbers 11:21  But Moses said, “Here I am with 600,000 foot soldiers around me. Yet, you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 
Numbers 11:22  Would they have enough if all the flocks and herds were butchered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”
Numbers 11:23  The LORD asked Moses, “Is there a limit to the LORD’S power? Now you will see whether or not my words come true.” [God’s Word Translation]

You are not alone. Moses who had seen miracles after miracles struggled to believe God wasn’t helpless, too. When God made the provision by translating a promise into reality, Moses’ notion of God took a different dimension from that day onwards.

There is a need to have a transformed mind. To stop limiting God. He created the world from nothing, all He needed to do was to speak, and it was done. No wonder Jesus was impressed by that Centurion who said to Him:

“For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.” [Matthew 8:9 KJV]

At one time, Ahaziah, the king of Israel fell from a window lattice he struggled to be healed and was afraid for his life. He asked his wife to secretly go and ask the god of their neighbours, Ekron. God was displeased and revealed this to His servant, Elijah who challenged this action.

Unfortunately, many are secretly doing the same today. As they struggle with life challenges and it seems their prayers are not working, they start seeking “prophets” and “seers” who are nothing more than charlatans and channels of familiar spirits. And God is not happy!

There is a need to recognize who God is, the Omnipotent One, who can do all things perfectly. We must decide to pattern our minds in the same format as His. That is, with Him, all things are possible.

We must be like Joshua and Caleb. They had a spirit different from what the majority had in their generation. It was the Spirit of Christ.

“Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.” [Numbers 14:22 – 24 KJV]

This Samaritan woman by the well left Christ with a transformed mind as soon as she realized whom she was dealing with. We must adopt the same as well.

If we present or walk with Him with this mindset, it will make a difference: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” [Hebrews 11:6 KJV]

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” [Philippians 2:5 KJV]

What was in this mind? It is set on the omnipotent ability of God that He is able. He is not as helpless as you are making Him be because the manifestation of His promises to you seems way beyond reach. Similar words created the Universe!

Before we conclude on this subject, let me show you a glimpse into the number of servants who minister daily to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” [Revelation 5:12]

Pause. Did you calculate the number of those angels? 10,000 x 10,000 x 1,000 x 1000. In other words, 100,000,000,000,000. That is 100 Trillion angels singing in a chorus of praise!

Do you know what just one of these angels is capable of doing? At the request for help by one of the sons of God, God sent one of these angels to help him and this is what the angel did:

“And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.” [2 Kings 19:35]

Just one angel slaughtered 23,125 fully armed soldiers per hour!

Isaac knew God could bless him and he asked for a blessing on his farm. God sent an angel to water the plants without rain (Genesis 26:1-12). Or do you think it was a recorded lie? God can’t lie. How do you plant crops during famine and reap a hundredfold of what you sowed?

We often forget that the One who spoke the world into existence is the One with whom we are dealing. Even the materials from which your body was made were made from His words. Why are you finding it hard to believe and trust Him? He rewards those who sincerely and diligently trust Him.

With or without you, He can draw water from the well.

Why do you think He has nothing to draw with? One or all of these three possibilities:

1. Ignorance. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. You don’t know Jesus. He’s not your mate.
2. Unbelief. The children of Israel could not enter the promised land because of their unbelief.
3. Pride. Self-reliance. You’re too proud to acknowledge that He can do the impossible because you seem to have things under control.

The solution is a simple one. Humble yourself before Him and ask for help. Believe and ask with the joy of knowledge that He is not helpless.

With Joy shall ye draw from the wells of salvation. After you have asked, lighten up, be hopeful and expect things to happen – and it will. God has even made it easier for you to draw from the wells of salvation, He has put the source of the well inside you! Greater is He that is in you that he (or whatever problem confronting you) that is in the world (1 John 4:4)

Beloved of God, you need to link up with the Spirit of God who resides inside you to draw the solution! With or without you, God can draw blessings from the well, so why not agree with Him to draw from this well of life?

The One who turned back the hand of time backwards (Isaiah 38:8) says to you: “Is anything too hard for Me?”

Stop judging God with your small human brain, He is unlimited and limitless and can do anything at any time for anyone. “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.” [Psalm 113:7-8]

Stir up yourself and call upon Him. Did you say you have called Him before with no results, call again! Elijah called seven times. Jesus called three times – call again, and He will answer you. Never stop calling. He is good and benevolent. He is not as helpless as you think. Calling Him shows you are humble and trusting in His benevolence.

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