| July 6, 2018 -- Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
We’re not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
There is an old saying: “God helps those who help themselves” that many people think is part of Holy Scripture, but which in essence is actually contrary to what the Bible tells us. The Bible says, in various forms, that God helps those who cannot help themselves. The grain of truth in the saying is that we should not stand in the way of letting God help us, but should instead reach out for God’s help. Picture in your mind a young child who has not yet learned to walk but is anxious to do so. Extend your finger so that the child can grab it, and then be the helping hand so that he or she can take those first steps, with your hand to hold them up and guide them. What if the child did not grab your finger? Then it would greatly handicap your ability to help.
The message is that God is ready and willing to help, but you must be prepared to receive God’s help by taking that first tentative move to leave yourself open to God’s help. I am reminded of the man who, in great financial difficulty, would pray every night: “Please God, Let me win the Lottery.” Finally God answered: “George, Help me out here! .... Buy a ticket!”
Do not expect that God will solve all your problems for you. What Jesus said (Matthew 11:28) was “Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The promise was not that God would rid you of your burdens, but rather that He would give you the ability to bear them more easily, sometimes showing you the ways that will allow you to lessen them or even let them drop. God wants to work WITH you and use your experiences to learn to live a less worrisome and burdensome life.
Finally, remember that old Gospel hymn which contains the lines:
Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
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