This episode unwraps the tale of how a number steered me towards a profound revelation, connecting me to the Greek term 'boethos' found in the Strong's Greek Concordance, symbolizing crucial aid in times of need. We delve into the heart of biblical stories, drawing parallels to the undeniable response we receive when our souls cry out for divine assistance. From the pleas of a father for his son's healing to the resolute faith of a Canaanite woman, our exploration is a testament to the idea that the heavens are listening and responding in ways that foster our spiritual fortitude.
Witness the transformative impact of prayer and fasting as we reflect on the awe-inspiring works of Jesus and the promptness of divine intervention. Miracles aren't relics of the past; they're the subtle threads of peace and solace woven into our daily lives. Through scriptures from Acts 21 and 2 Corinthians 6, this episode encourages a deeper awareness of the unexpected blessings that surround us. These aren't mere coincidences, but the very essence of God's active presence in our lives, offering salvation and support when we need it most. Join us and be inspired to recognize and cherish these everyday miracles that affirm our faith in the power of divine help.
This episode unwraps the tale of how a number steered me towards a profound revelation, connecting me to the Greek term 'boethos' found in the Strong's Greek Concordance, symbolizing crucial aid in times of need. We delve into the heart of biblical stories, drawing parallels to the undeniable response we receive when our souls cry out for divine assistance. From the pleas of a father for his son's healing to the resolute faith of a Canaanite woman, our exploration is a testament to the idea that the heavens are listening and responding in ways that foster our spiritual fortitude.
Witness the transformative impact of prayer and fasting as we reflect on the awe-inspiring works of Jesus and the promptness of divine intervention. Miracles aren't relics of the past; they're the subtle threads of peace and solace woven into our daily lives. Through scriptures from Acts 21 and 2 Corinthians 6, this episode encourages a deeper awareness of the unexpected blessings that surround us. These aren't mere coincidences, but the very essence of God's active presence in our lives, offering salvation and support when we need it most. Join us and be inspired to recognize and cherish these everyday miracles that affirm our faith in the power of divine help.
My website is https://www.godslovingsacrifice.com
Speaker 1:
Today we're going to talk about help. First, I want to talk about numbers. I love numbers. They stick in my head. I remember them. Um, I know people's phone numbers from childhood and I love math. I tutor kids in math. And I like numbers because they're just like Jesus. They're the same yesterday and today and forever.
If
Speaker 1:
you add one and one together, you're going to get two. A hundred years from now, if you add one and one together, you're going to get two. So they're just really fabulous and there's nothing that you can look at. And, and I do this with my math kids. Name something in the world that doesn't have a number to it.
And
Speaker 1:
they try to think of everything. But then I remind them of volume, of height, of weight, of size, of, you know, velocity. All these things have numbers to them, and the Bible has a lot of numbers in it. We have the Trinity, the three. Seven is the foundation of God's word, and there are numbers in other biblical writings, like concordances and notes and everything will have numbers on them.
But
Speaker 1:
I have to tell you a story. This past week, I've had two people come to my aid. I had really prayed about it and called out to God that I needed help. And two people helped me and it was God that led them to do it. But the funny thing about it was, before anyone helped me, I got a call on the phone from somebody whose phone number started with 997, which was really funny because my phone number starts with 997.
And
Speaker 1:
then I had someone else call me who had 997 in their phone number twice. And then when I was driving home from work, the car in front of mine's license plate number Was 997. Now, I had no clue what that meant. Some people said I should go play the Daily Three. My husband would have, but I don't. So I just started looking.
997
Speaker 1:
. 997. What's important about it? So, I love the Thompson Chain Bible. And I love the marginal notes and the way it chains through the Bible and takes you from one spot to another to help you read. And I looked up the 997 marginal note and what it was for and it said spiritual maturity. I thought, well, that's interesting, but it just didn't do a lot for me.
Spiritual
Speaker 1:
maturity. We, we talk about growing in the word. So I decided to look up the strong Greek concordance. I love the strong concordance. And 997 was the word Boetheo. And it means to run to the cry of those in danger or to bring help or bring aid. It was also a word that the military used, and it was their word to respond to a critical urgent need.
It's
Speaker 1:
also used in Greek as a responding to a war cry, and that's what we look for. We look for God to respond to our war cries, our critical urgent needs. It's like it says in Psalms 18 6 in my distressed I called upon the Lord and cried out to my God he heard my voice from his temple and my cry came before him even to his ears so he listens to us he listens to me and help came not always the help I was thinking I needed but it took care of the Matthew 15 21 through 28 Uses that word, and it says, Then Jesus went out there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And
Speaker 1:
behold, a woman of Canaan came from the region and cried out to him, Have mercy on me, O Lord, son of David. My daughter is severely demon possessed. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, Send her away, for she cries after us. But he answered and said, I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Then
Speaker 1:
she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered her and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs. And she said, Yes, Lord. Yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman great as thy faith, let it be as you desire.
And
Speaker 1:
her daughter was healed from that very hour. And the help that she cried out for, he answered. Just like the help that we cry out for, he answers. I've been hearing a lot of people that have been mad at God for this or that or the other and, and I don't get it, but it's just so easy to blame him for things.
That
Speaker 1:
as soon as things get tough, we start crying out to him. We cry out for his help. We cry out for his love. And he answers those cries. Mark 9, 14 29 says, And when he came to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately when they saw him, All the people were greatly amazed and running to him greeting him.
And
Speaker 1:
he asked the scribes, what are you discussing with them? Then one of the crowd answered and said, Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a mute spirit, and whenever it seizes him, it throws him down. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to your disciples that they should cast it out.
They
Speaker 1:
could not. He answered him and said, O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me. And they brought him to him. And when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him and he fell to the ground and wallowed foaming at the mouth. So he asked the father, how long has this been happening to him?
And
Speaker 1:
he said, from childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Jesus said to him, if you can believe all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the father and the child cried out and said to him with tears, Lord, I believe help my unbelief.
When
Speaker 1:
Jesus saw the people come running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter in him no more. And the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as a dead one so that many said, is he dead? But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose.
And
Speaker 1:
when he had come into his house, the disciples asked him privately, why could we not cast it out? So he said to them, this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting. Again, God helped them when they cried out to him. Those things that we, that it talks about in the Bible and we read about these wonderful miracles that he does, but people don't always believe that that can happen now.
But
Speaker 1:
wonderful miracles can happen. But if you are afraid and someone gives you peace, isn't that a miracle? When you're alone and fearful and lonely and someone comforts you, isn't that a miracle? When you're down on your luck and have bills to pay and you need help and someone helps you, isn't that a miracle?
None
Speaker 1:
of those people or none of those things had to happen, but God causes them to happen. We have to remember when we cry out to him. He hears us. Remember the scripture in my last podcast that says, Before you ask, I will answer. He will answer us while we're still asking him. Acts 21, 26 through 29 said, Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.
Now,
Speaker 1:
when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, Men of Israel, help! This man teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place. And furthermore, he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.
Again,
Speaker 1:
someone was crying out for help. That's just an illustration of that word being used again, and I keep saying that word because I have to look at the top of my page to know how it's pronounced. In 2 Corinthians it's used again. We then, as workers together with him, also pleaded with you not to receive the grace of God in vain, for he says, In an acceptable time I have heard you.
And
Speaker 1:
in the day of salvation, I have helped you. Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Cry out to him. Ask him for help. If you don't know what to ask, the Holy Spirit always knows what to ask. But, notice things around you. Notice little things that happen, little things that you're not expecting, little miracles.
Everybody's
Speaker 1:
so busy trying not to believe in miracles that they miss the miracles that happen in front of them every single day. They cry out for God to give them a miracle, and when the miracle happens, it's coincidence. It would have happened anyway. God didn't really do that. He did, and he does, and he will.
When
