I tried to express divine dependence meaning in English in this article, you people will find it very informative. Once a grandfather called to his grandson, “Hurry, my son, Rashid. Help me get me up from my bed!” So Rashid rushes to the bed to provide support for his grandfather.
His grandfather in his heart has given Rashid so many blessings, and he often prayed for him silently during the day and in the night hours. In every part of life, man needs support; from childhood to old age, man needs support. It can be a picture such as Rashid and his grandfather. When we go through some very hard and tough times, we often don’t have anything or anyone to depend upon. We are left alone and isolated.
Then we may think about one of our friends, and mentally depend upon him or her. We become strong and bold when we think about this person—his personality, his influence, his relations, his resources. We think this person will certainly get me out of the ditch. A ray of light, hope, and enthusiasm is born within us. Due to this mental dependence upon another, we come out of our negative attitude. Yet this person has been of no practical help to us in any way. Not even in the past have we ever requested anything from him.
In contrast to this view of our human friend, let us think about the person of God. In the past He always brought us out of negative and unfavorable circumstances. He helps us in our present circumstances. As a believer, as a child of God, how do we feel? How far do your imagination and thoughts go? What are your emotions, impulses, inclinations and feelings about this divine person? His help and support is divine; it’s divine dependence.
When I become the prey of great conflict, when stress and hopelessness surround me from every side, I feel pushed into total darkness. When I feel that all the doors of hope are closed, restlessness and hopelessness make their permanent abode within me. Then this is the moment when divine dependence will comfort me.
(1) Divine Dependence gives us comfort.
How very much you and I need comfort! This divine provision is something we can’t purchase, nor can a psychologist offer it to us. When we depend upon the One who is above all, then He sends His comfort from above.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted
Matthew 5:4, KJV+
The prophet David said, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me
Psalm 23:4, KJV+
Our God gives us comfort which is beyond explanation.
A servant of God writes, “People come into my office depressed, mournful, under great mental tension and pressure. Sometimes they are ready to commit suicide. I listen to them very carefully. I pray for them. When I say ‘Amen,’ and open my eyes, their faces are aglow with joy and jubilation. They have smile on their lips!” They are thinking… You have prayed and my burdens have been rolled away. If my problem is solved I do not know, but inside my heart and mind I have a very special type of peace and comfort.
Divine dependence does not put us to shame.
He feeds and fills us with his comfort.
He gives us hope.
He refreshes us and restores us.
He helps us to stand on our feet.
He gives us new joy and new hope.
(2) Divine dependence gives us hope.
Hope is a great God-given gift. Woe to those people who give up their hope. They push themselves into the deep ditches and valleys of darkness and hopelessness. In the hands of God’s people, hope is a great weapon. Hope can destroy the strong, great, and high castle of hopelessness. In the moments of our distress and hardship, when we ask the help of our heavenly Father, He helps us.
Due to his power all the dark clouds are removed. He sheds His light and glory on our face then our darkness is turned into light. He turns our prolonged sickness into his strength. We weep, mourn and groan about our circumstances, but He reminds us His bright promises and makes us the heir of His inheritance. God moves the conditions of our weakness and nothingness toward brightness, success and hope. He doesn’t let us get old and weak due to our circumstances but grants us more courage and boldness.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
Hebrews 11:1, KJV+
Through faith we trust in the things for which we hope, and believe that God will certainly do this for us. The things and circumstances which are invisible to us, by faith we see them as if they are before us. Hope is a divine gift.
And hope maketh not ashamed;
Romans 5:5, KJV+
The hope which we put in God never puts us to shame. Due to this hope, our divine dependence upon Him grants us power and strength.
(3) Divine Dependence grants us strength.
The great apostle Paul says;
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me
Philippians 4:13, KJV+
The divine person and the divine dependence have a deep relationship.
When we ask for divine dependence we in fact call upon a divine person and call upon His help. Oh, how much we all need this divine strength!
From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Psalm 121:1-3 KJV+
The prophet Moses writes;
The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation:
Exodus 15:2 KJV+
Moses experienced the power of God. He was fully dependent upon God. The Israelites had complained to him and said it was better (for us) to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!
And they said unto Moses, ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness’
Exodus 14:11-12, KJV+
Then Moses answered them.
And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace
Exodus 14:13-14, KJV+
Moses depended entirely upon God; he trusted that God would do everything for him. He had experienced this in the past. The Israelites had murmured before, although they had seen the miracles and great works of the Lord. But now their hearts were hardened.
See the salvation of the Lord. He will give us salvation and set us free. He will get us redemption and deliverance. He will put his power in action. Sometimes we hinder or stop the power of God to work for us due to our negative thinking and doubts. How many times have you experienced this very thing in the past, in your own, specific circumstances? The Lord manifested his great power and delivered you from hardships, difficulties, sufferings, doubts and discouragement. Look at it closely, examine yourselves!
Then Moses said to people;
“Fear not,”
Do not be frightened,
Be courageous,
Do not be anxious that what will take place,
Be strong.
“Stand still”,
You have to do nothing,
You do not have to fight,
You do not have to stand against your circumstances,
You do not have to shout, yell or have any slogans,
You should not be frightened by looking at your adversary,
Do not run away when you see him.
In your inner man keep your eyes fixed on God almighty. Today the Lord will do a great, mighty and strange work for you which you have never seen. Depend upon the Lord and ask for His strength and power.
When they asked from the depths of their heart, then this stubborn nation and Moses saw the power of God with their own eyes. God totally destroyed the army of Pharaoh and saved the Israelites.
Dear friends, remember that the dependence upon God gives us strength:
To face the circumstances and situation,
To stand firm in the difficult times,
To be sacrificial or to give sacrifice and
To achieve victory.
We can see that our divine dependence:
Gives us comfort,
Gives us hope,
Gives us strength, and through this strength we get boldness and courage.
(4) Divine dependence gives us boldness and courage.
Courage is an inner and invisible strength. Its opposite is cowardice. In the second epistle to Timothy, Paul writes;
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2Timothy 1:7, KJV+).
Cowardice (the attitude and action of a coward) is a weapon which the devil usually uses against God’s people. This battle is fought in the mind. This battle is also won or lost in the mind. Whatever takes place in our mind, it greatly affects our body, strength and actions.
When we glance back at the first century Christians, we see they never gave up boldness and courage. King Nero was an extreme tyrant. Tyranny was at its peak in the Roman Empire. Nero used to tie Christians to trees, place oil and charcoal over their bodies then set them on fire. The Christians would be screaming and crying in pain as King Nero went for his walks along the pathways in the light of these burning Christians’ bodies; he enjoyed their pain.
Some Christians were thrown alive in front of hungry lions. People from the towns came to watch this terrible act in the stadium. But those Christians never denied their faith in the living God.
Christian in the first century churches prayed, they had great boldness and courage. They were fully dependent on God. In front of these spectators, the lions and other wild beasts tore them apart and killed them. These Christians fully depended upon God. For a time their bodies became food for the lions and the wild beasts, it was a horrible death. But they had the boldness and courage to believe they were going to be with their Lord and He would protect and guard their spirit.
Dear friends, now the question arises, do you have a relationship with this divine person? Do you accept divine dependence? If this is the case then you are on the right track. But if it is not so, give your life to the Lord. Believe in the atonement of Lord Jesus Christ, that he died for you on the cross. Confess your sins. Give up your sins. Ask for His forgiveness.
The divine person will be with you and in you. Divine dependence will be yours and result in comfort, hope, strength and courage. These blessings will remain with you forever.
