Monday Morning Devotion-July 12, 2021

Need Help

 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy to God our savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.  Jude 24-25.

      I am writing this on our granddaughter Ellee's sixth birthday.  She came to live with us when she was two years old.  It seems almost unreal that it is going on four years now since the Lord told us he had a gift for us.  Well, he didn't actually tell us in so many words.  But He knew that Ellee needed some stability in her life because those first two years had been, uh°a mess.

            We had to wonder, as two seniors whose kids had long since left the nest if we could handle this little blonde-haired, blue-eyed, bundle of energy. But we knew from many years and different experiences that the Lord would not call on us to do something and then leave it all in our hands.  We had faith that "if the Lord leads you to it, He will lead you through it."

            So with those random thoughts racing through my mind, I came across this devotion from May 21, 2018 that I hope will speak to you, in some way, to accomplish something that seems very daunting, indeed.  So here we go°looking back three years with the hindsight of today's experiences.

            Today's message should resonate well with those of you who now have or have had a two-year old living under your roof.  Even if you don't have one but have seen one in action, you should get this message.

            Our granddaughter Ellee lives with us, which violates all the grand parenting rules such as the great thing about being a grandparent is you get to keep the grandchild for the day, spoil them, then hand them back over to their parents.  This does not apply in our case as we are grand-parents-as-parents.

            Anyway, here's my point.  One thing I have noticed about Ellee, and I'm sure it is probably inherent in most two-year olds, is this independent feeling that they can do anything. No matter what it is, ranging from opening the garage door to unscrewing the top on a jar in her presence, we are sure to get an "Ellee do it." 

            Sometimes she does "do it" which gives her great pleasure.  But many times Ellee will struggle and fail and then comes a "need help."  That's when the task gets completed.

            Believe it or not we are all, at one time or another, like two-year olds.  We are so eager to get even the most arduous of tasks done that we barge in on our own and find out we can't accomplish our goal.  That's when we realize that we need to ask for help.

            We can go out and find someone to help us do it or advise us how we can do it.  Or we can do what we should have done in the first place°OK here it is°you knew this was coming but you just forgot about it and that is why you struggled in vain:

            First, "Pray as if it depends on God; then work as if it depends on you." Thanks again Mark Batterson.

            You see when we do that there is a great possibility that the Lord may just reveal to us a different way of accomplishing our goal that we had not considered.  He could do that in a variety of ways.  We might discover some instructions on-line or in a book that we just happen to come across.  Funny how that happens after a prayer isn't it?

            Or perhaps some person that you know is in your path that day or you remember a conversation from the past, or you call on a friend who has the kind of technical knowledge you lack to do this particular job and rectify your problem.

            This needed solution might not come immediately.  May happen later in your day, your week, your month, etc.  God's timetable is not always our timetable.  He has his reasons for delays which often become obvious when the solution is reached, and you consider all the things that have happened in the interim.

            Sarah Young writes in "Jesus Always" on May 14th,   (writing it from Jesus' perspective as advice to us).  "I am able to keep you from stumbling.  I know how weak you are, how easily you would lose your footing if I were not holding onto you.  You are growing in grace, but complete freedom from sin will not be possible as long as you live in this fallen world.  So you need my help continually."

            Notice how Jesus is holding on to us in that paragraph so we won't stumble and fall.  It's like we have to hold Ellee's hand when going down steep steps (although she may try to resist to do it on her on, even when wearing flip-flops or a long dress that might cause her to trip) or crossing a street---even though she knows to look both ways for cars.

            Three days later, May 17,  Jesus tells us in the same book of devotion:  "Carrying your own burdens is wearing you out.  Your shoulders are not designed for carrying heavy loads.  Your first step is to recognize that something is wearing you down.  2nd, examine this problem and see if the difficulty is yours or is it really someone else's that you can let go of.   If it is yours then move forward with My help.  I will show you the way forward."

            Psalm 55:22 tells us; "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall."

            Philippians 4:19 says "And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

            Sometimes you realize the task is too big to handle by yourself, but you really just don't know how to pray about it.  Praying from the scriptures is a good way.  On www.crosswalk.com I found these four simple verses to help you ask for God's help.  These are simple to recall because each one of these starts with a different letter°in this order the first letters spell out: H-E-L-P (excerpted from "5-Word Prayers: Where to Start when You Don't Know what to Say to God." By Lisa Whittle)

            H: "Hear me Lord and answer me for I am poor and needy."  Psalm 86:1

                    This establishes that you need the Lord's help.

            E: "Establish my steps in your word."  Psalm 119:133

                   Ask God for direction.

            L:  "Let your compassion quickly meet our needs because we are on the brink of 

                   despair." Psalm 79:8

                    Ask God to help you focus on his compassion and grace to lift you from                               despair.

            P: "Protect me God because I take refuge in you."  Psalm 16:1

                  For spiritual or physical protection, we ask Him to be our Protector & Provider.

            The key thing is to take action as needed.  Don't let a problem weigh you down.

            Admit that you can't do it.  You "Need Help."

Prayer:  Lord help us to know we can't do it alone and realize that you are always there and we can cast our cares on you.  Amen