The Helper of the Helpless and the Defender of the Defenseless
by Gene Easley
It has
been said, “God helps those who help themselves.”
But when we look at the Scriptures, we find that helping ourselves
is not the emphasis of God’s Word. The
greedy and self-seeking are strongly rebuked in the Bible and receive no
help from God.
But there
is another truth presented in the gospel message that gives us true hope.
This message is that God helps those who “cannot” help
themselves. He is the Helper
of the helpless, the Defender of the defenseless.
There was
a woman who had an infirmity in her body for 12 years (Luke 8:43-48).
She had spent all her money on the physicians but only became
worse. She could not help
herself and neither could anyone else help her.
But she pressed through the crowd and touched the hem of Jesus’
garment, and, instantly, she was made whole.
The
gospel of Mark tells of a blind man who sat by the highway side begging
(Mark 10:46-52). When he heard
that Jesus was coming his way, he began to cry, “Have mercy on me.”
The man wanted his eyesight restored.
There was no one who could help him, and he could not help himself.
His only hope was the mercy of Jesus.
Jesus spoke the word and the man was helped instantly.
Our
problems sometimes become too big for us, but they are never too big for
God. We are living in a real
world with real problems. But
just as our problems and needs are real, so also is God’s help real for
those who call on Him.
The
prophet Isaiah says, “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is
none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them”
(Isaiah 41:17a). When I come
to the end of my ability, when my strength fails me, then God can become
my refuge and strength.
What a
beautiful story is the Gospel story! It
isn’t that I climb the ladder until I have reached Heaven by my own
strength, but rather that from my sinfulness and my degradation Jesus
comes and lifts me up. He
becomes my salvation.
Man’s part is that he must turn to God for help. Then God becomes a Helper of the helpless and a Defender of the defenseless.
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