Who tell you dat? - God helps those who help themselves - Part II

God helps those who help themselves; try first thyself, and afterwards, call on God; help thyself and God will help thee. Have you found yourself every saying these proverbs? If you are like me, you probably grew up hearing these sayings, believing them to be different variations of scripture, but by now, we know that the opposite is true.

Last week, we kicked off 'Who Tell Yuh Dat? Lies We Believe' and we examined the implications of believing the lie that God helps those who help themselves. We saw how believing that lie could easily lead to spiritual self-reliance, leading us away from dependence on God.

The truth is, God helps the helpless! The Lord responds to those who cry out to Him for help. Do you need God's help today? Here are two ways you can find help from God.

God helps those who:

1. Admit they are powerless to help themselves

This is not as easy as it sounds because oftentimes we don't want to admit we are weak or need help. It's especially hard for men to admit that they need help. That's why men are notorious for getting lost and refusing to stop and ask someone for directions.

However, the word of God says, "My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:2 NIV. In our culture, we admire self-made men, but we need the Lord. Let me give you two examples. Our help comes from the Lord when we:

a. Have a right relationship with Him

Many persons approach their salvation and being in right standing with God from the perspective of 'God helps those who help themselves'. So they might say, "I have to fix up myself to go to God", while nothing could be further from the truth. Our salvation is a work of God from beginning to end. We can't help God there as scripture tells us, "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9 NIV. It's God's grace that saves us because of His love. So, are you trying to earn God's favour by your actions instead of receiving His grace?

b. Face uncontrollable circumstances

God is also concerned about the uncontrollable circumstances that we face. These circumstances help us to see that we are not in control as we think and that we need to place our trust in Him as the one who controls all our destinies. Let's give this context. In Luke 8:22-25 NIV, it says: "One day Jesus said to His disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we're going to drown!' He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 'Where is your faith?' he asked His disciples. In fear and amazement, they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey them." These fishermen would have experience with many storms in their lives, but they were scared silly and overwhelmed by uncontrollable circumstances and turned to Jesus.

2. Trust Him alone for help

God is not one of several sources of help for you. He is the only source of eternal help. Sometimes how we speak and what we do betrays on what and on whom is our dependence. Let me give you an example. A Christian businessman was leaving for a two-week business trip. He prayed with his wife before he left, "Lord, please protect my wife and the kids while I'm gone". After he finished, his wife looked at him and said with a smile, "Thanks for the prayer, but who do you think protects us while you're here?"

Our dependence is on the Lord even as He gives us things to use. We are to trust Him alone. So, the next time you hear someone say, "God helps those who help themselves", be sure to say, not so. In truth, God helps the helpless! Next week, we will look at another interesting common belief that is not founded in God's truth. Join us again for that.