During the last couple of weeks, my daughter’s school has dedicated a lot of focus on writing skills. She’s been sent home with writing packets every day. Included is a little sticky note from the teachers, urging parents to help the child if they have difficulty by making the writing assignments fun. I kept a close eye on my daughter as she began her homework. I waited to see if she would ask for my help, but she never did. Trying to give her space to form her thoughts, I watched quietly nearby, making sure I was available to jump right in if she needed. I noticed she started to struggle a bit, so I spoke up. I offered suggestions of a few fun topics she could write about. She listened for a couple of minutes as I rolled on, but then she said, “Mom, I got it, I want to do it on my own.”
At first, I was happy that she felt confident enough to handle it on her own, but I knew that her homework assignment was more advanced than she thought, and she would not complete it as well as possible without my help. As I thought about this experience with my daughter, it made me think about our attitude sometimes when it pertains to the tests, trials, and tribulations that come our way. Life is designed to test our strengths and weaknesses, but this is nothing we should be overly concerned about, because our strength lies in the Father. As God’s children, we’ve been given authority to overcome any adversity and obstacle through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:37 tells us that we are not just conquerors, but MORE than conquerors through Christ! This foundation building truth is especially crucial for the single Christians that struggle with relationship issues. We’re in a season where couples are under so much pressure from outside influences, and they are trying to handle it and everything else on their own. Jesus Christ tells us very clearly in John 15:5 that we can’t do anything on our own. From the smallest to the greatest detail, we need God’s help.
One of my friends shared the other day that she was having a tough time deciding what to get for the significant man in her life. She found out that he purchased a very big Christmas gift for her. Now she feels obligated to do the same for him. I told her to pray about it first and let the Lord lead her. She said, “Ugh, praying is not always the answer. I’ll figure it out.” As believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are often taken aback to hear this kind of sentiment expressed, and it is because we recognize the importance of seeking God first in every aspect of our existence.
In Isaiah 41:13(NLT), God told His people, “For I hold you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’” You are never the lesser for allowing God to hold you by the hand and help you out in even the smallest of life’s obstacles. One truth that I learned early in my Christian walk was that you cannot rise above that which you don’t know or haven’t been taught. Sometimes we think asking for help admits that we’re not capable or it shows a sign of weakness. I can admit that I’m very hard on myself and coming from a home where we were taught how to be self-sufficient, asking God for guidance and help wasn’t always my first response. I’m so thankful that I learned the truth about our Provider, for He is our Sufficiency and is always willing to help us. We think, “I should be able to handle this on my own.” But the truth is that God created us so that we would lean and depend on Him for everything.
2 Corinthians 3:4-5(NLT), “4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” Every good thing comes from God. We must have a great trust in our Heavenly Father, because He will not ever fail or forsake us. We don’t have to beg, and we cannot control the masterful way in which He solves our problems and meets our needs. He knows exactly what to do. It is His good pleasure to provide for His children, and to express gratitude for His overwhelming and matchless kindness, you must have faith and let Him help you. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Let God Help You” written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.