Devotional

“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.”
PROVERBS 3:27

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Unexpected Helpers 1 Chr 12:1-22

In 1 Chronicles 12:1, David was in great danger. Many of the psalms David wrote expressed his intense distress and suffering during his time on the run from Saul. He cried out to God, “Rescue me. . . . Wake up! See what is happening and help me!” (Ps 59:1, 4). God answered his prayers, but in ways that gave David pause.

The first helpers he met were perhaps the most unlikely, because they were “all relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin” (1 Chr 12:2), kinsmen of the king who had banished him! The next two groups had also “defected” from Saul. This unlikely collection of helpers caused David concern: What if they had come to betray him to his enemies (12:17)? Only when the Spirit came upon Amasai, the defectors’ leader, did David receive them and accept their help (12:18).

Sometimes it takes trust in God to accept the help offered when it’s not exactly what we expected or thought we needed. Sarah Kritikos was born with multiple disabilities. As she grew up, she wondered if she would ever have friends like other girls. Sarah grew to be extremely shy, spending so much time in the hospital that she didn’t even get to know her classmates. Then Sarah attended a Joni and Friends Family Retreat where she met an unexpected helper. Lydia Abell was only eleven years old and too young to be a camp counselor, but one day at the pool she reached out to Sarah. After the retreat their friendship endured, and Lydia has supported her friend through many hardships. Lydia doesn’t have a disability, yet the Lord formed a lasting bond between the two girls that filled a vacancy in both of their hearts. Today, Sarah is more outgoing and has come to realize that she has much to offer to others.

When you experience a need, trust God to provide even through the unlikeliest helpers. And when you see others in need, consider that God might be calling you to help—no matter how unqualified a candidate you think you are.