01152022 Our Helper

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our Helper. No matter what our need is, there is no one better able to meet that need than God.

“Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul” (Psalm 54:4).

If God is my Helper, that means I need help. I have some type of deficiency or difficulty. There is some obstacle that must be overcome. If I had no such challenges, I would not need a helper. But the truth is that I have multiple such needs all the time, so, yes, I need help. I often substitute words into “Jesus Loves Me.” “___ to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong.” No matter what we put in the blank, it is still true. We are weak, and we need God’s help.

If God is my Helper, that means He is willing to help me. No one would be called a helper who does not engage willingly in the task of helping people. God wouldn’t have to help. He could remain aloof and disengaged, high in His heaven, removed from the sullied world of pitiful people. But because God loves us, He has committed Himself to help us. He wants to help. He invites us to ask for help. He volunteers His help and often gives it out of His heart of lovingkindness even when we don’t think to ask.

If God is my Helper, that means He is able to help. Likewise, no one would be called a helper who is not actually able to help. God is not just a cheerleader or a proclaimer of empty platitudes. He is not limited to hoping things will work out for us, like people are. No, God has all the power necessary to actually change our situation and work out a solution. He is able to do far more than we can even imagine.

If God is my Helper, that means I end up in a better place after His intervention than where I was before. If nothing changes, He hasn’t helped, but when God helps, things do change. That might include circumstances. That might include people. That might include provision. That might include grace. That might include peace and submission or simply a divine work in our heart. However that answer looks, the end result is better than the starting point.

If God is my Helper, that means I could not have arrived at that better place on my own. God often wants us to put forth reasonable effort, to be disciplined, to seek His truth. We might have some responsibility in the process, but if God helps us, that negates the possibility that we achieved the solution fully on our own. (And to whatever extent we “achieved” anything personally, it was through His enabling grace as we followed His plan and principles.) God makes up all the lack between where we are naturally and where we end up, and He provides all the strength and wisdom to travel from point A to point B.

It’s nice to have helpers – grandchildren to help decorate cookies, spouses to do dirty or physical chores, neighbors to rake leaves, coworkers to share in the ministry, etc. But each of these is so small compared to the Helper who is able to assist with every need regardless of the difficulty level. Thanks to God our Helper!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA