How God Helps The Disadvantaged

In Yoruba parlance, when you want to explain how a disadvantaged man could have become successful in his endeavour, you say it in a phrase which can be translated: “It was God who gave glory to his lazy self”, where lazy is used to mean some form of weakness or disadvantage.

In ancient Israel, a story was told of four lepers who amidst a severe famine, made a decision to go into the Syrian camp in search of food. As a result of that bold, almost suicidal decision, they not only became rich, but also saved the entire city from the peril of hunger. This feat came about, not as a result of their capacity, but as a result of an apparently random, daring action.

Another story is told of a certain Prince lame in both feet, because he was unfortunate to have had a ‘sloppy’ nurse in childhood. One day he was sitting in his house impoverished, and the next, he was dining with the reigning King, boasting of several landed properties. In his case, he didn’t have to take any suicidal action before hitting a jackpot, he just needed to be related to Saul. Something as out of his control as his parentage, was what delivered to him riches and honour beyond what his capacity could produce.

A third story is that of a young widow named Ruth. Though a Moabite with no business being in the lineage of grace; she got in by marrying a kinsman redeemer, because she made a game-changing decision of following her mother-in-law into a strange land.

Deductively, when God wants to help the disadvantaged, he inspires them to act in certain ways, brings them into favour through existing relationships, or both.

He’s a faithful God, he gives opportunities to both the strong and the weak. If you lack results, it’s not because of your perceived disadvantage, it’s because you’ve not recognized your opportunities.

So, even if you are limited in certain ways, always be on the lookout for opportunities. If you can’t see any in spite of how hard you look, be patient; your shot will come. Never forget “time and chance are twin travelers on a mission to visit us all; the swift and slow, the strong and weak. Just be home when they visit and open when they knock”.

In other words, you can waylay ‘time and chance’ at any point by recognizing and seizing opportunities, or you can wait for them to visit you. Either way, God always has a plan to pair you with the help you need, he always has a plan to cancel out your disadvantage.

BE ENCOURAGED.