Tag Archives: asking for help

October 4, 2022 · 5:46 AM

Getting God’s Help

There was a time in my life when I was upset with God for not answering a prayer. When He didn’t answer, I had already purposed not to get bitter against Him, but I was still mad at Him. I knew I needed God for my salvation, but I was done with Him beyond that. I told Him, “You didn’t answer me when I needed you most. Why would I ever ask you for anything else again?” I decided that God could exist in my life, but we weren’t going to be friends. We may be on talking terms, but it wasn’t going to be friendly terms. When needs came up, I approached them with an I got it attitude. I needed God’s help, but I wasn’t going to ask for it. I lived that way for a couple of years until another great need came up that I couldn’t do anything about. Only God could. I decided to bring down my wall and reconcile with God so I could seek His help.

David was a man who spent most of his early adulthood on the run. He was pretty self sufficient in the pasture with the sheep, but when Saul started chasing him, he developed a need for God. He learned how to ask Him for help and to depend on Him. I’m not sure what kind of king he would have been had he not learned to develop his ability to ask God for help. His needs drove him to his needs as ours should for us. God uses tough times to develop our prayer life and our relationship with Him. They’re a way for us to see that we can’t always do everything on our own. They also help to humble us so that we reconcile with God and ask for His help. He loves us and is a very present help in our time of need if we’re willing to ask for it.

David prayed in Psalms 86:4, “O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help” (NLT). God is not telling you to figure it out on your own and He’s not trying to make you fail. He’s looking for you to recognize your need for Him. He doesn’t hold any grudges or our past against us. He knows we are human and that we need Him. He’s full of love for you at this very moment and is ready to help when you ask for it. Don’t let your hurt, anger or pride keep you from asking for His help when deep down you know you need it. You’re only hurting yourself when you don’t seek Him and His help. Remember, God is good all the time. You don’t have to do things on your own.

Photo by Garon Piceli:

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

May 31, 2021 · 6:04 AM

Receiving Help

Have you ever noticed that some of the most trying times in your life have been the most humbling? I can think of multiple times in my life where I was going through some difficult things and I couldn’t even look up. What was going on inside was affecting my outside. The thing that burdened my mind felt like a giant weight on my back. I shuffled around and often didn’t even feel like I had the strength to get up and face the day. By contrast, when I’m carefree, I’m upright, looking around, smiling and saying hello to everyone I meet. There are two different postures here that my body takes based on what’s going on inside. In the good times it’s easy to sing and enjoy life, but I’ve learned that in the most difficult seasons, I need to sing praises even more. Singing praise songs shifts my internal perspective from the weight I’m under to my need for the One who can help me through it. My focus is no longer on my problems, but on the One who has the solution. Praise reminds me that when I can’t, God can.

I love that the stories of David in the Bible share both his triumphs and his pains. His psalms reflect that too. He didn’t just write them when things were going to plan and when he was on top of the world. Many were written in times of desperation. In each of them, he continued to pour his heart out to God knowing He was the only one He trusted to help him. The psalms he left behind for us to read are great prayers, songs and reminders to look to God in times of plenty and in times of pain. I go to them pretty often because I know that they often give me words for the way I’m feeling, they give me prayers when I don’t know how to pray in those seasons and they give me encouragement as they remind me to put my hope in God. Even when we feel abandoned under our heavy load, the psalms remind us that God has not forgotten us and is our strength in time of need.

One such psalm I love in the last one that David wrote which is a psalm of praise and full of reminders. Psalm 145:14 reminds us, “The LORD helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads” (NLT). There is help for us when we’ve fallen down under our heavy load and feel like we should just stay down. God is there with an outstretched hand ready to lift us up. He sends people to pray for us, to encourage us and to help carry the load. However, it always requires us to reach out and take His hand and accept the help He sends. It can be quite humbling at times to admit we need help, or to accept that we can’t do it on our own. In those times I remind myself not to let my pride stand in the way of my progress and growth. I’ve learned that many times my struggles are an attempt to remind me to trust in God rather than my own strength. It’s a way for me to learn to accept help rather than to give it. Receiving help is as much an act of obedience as giving it. Don’t let pride stand in your way during those times.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 6, 2017 · 5:50 AM

Asking For Help


No matter who you are, you’ll need help at some point in your life. You will face things that you can’t do on your own. If you’re like me, you try to do it alone anyway. My pride says, “You don’t need anyone’s help. You got into this by yourself, you can get out of it by yourself.” I try to project strength instead of admitting my weakness. What inevitability happens is that I end up wearing myself out in the process. One time, I collapsed on the floor and cried out to God, “I can’t do this anymore! Help me.” He replied, “Finally.”

God was waiting on me to look to Him for help, but my pride kept me from it. I had to endure a lot more pain than necessary because I wasn’t willing to admit I needed help. Since that time, I’ve learned to look to Him first when I need help. It doesn’t take long to pray, “God, I can’t do this on my own. I need your help.” It does take humility though, but God honors that. He wants to help us with our daily issues.

David learned this lesson as well. After being anointed king, he was constantly in danger and was running for his life. He learned to quit trying to go at it alone, and to go to God. In Psalm 25:15, he wrote, “I look to the Lord for help at all times” (GNT). He didn’t just go to God with some things. He went to Him with all his issues, and God came to His rescue. It wasn’t because David was any different that us. It was because David was humble enough to recognize he needed help from God daily.

Whatever you’re facing today, God stands ready to help. He’s waiting for us to trust His all sufficient grace to help us get through life. Don’t wait until you’re mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted before you cry out for help. Let go of your pride, and look to God for help at all times. It’s not a weakness to admit you need help. It takes strength to overcome your pride and admit it. Once you do, you’ll find that God is willing and able to step in and do what needs to be done. 

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,