How often do you ask God for help? Every second you're breathing? Once or twice a day? Only when you're in really bad shape? Or do you do your best to make sure you don’t have to ask God for much?
My goal today is to erase the mindset that we can ever "bother" God. I’ve heard many people express this very sentiment. They think to ask God for help would be bothering Him. Many people mistakenly think that God is more proud of them when they handle things on their own, showing what a "big Christian" they are for handling life's everyday problems and only "bothering" God for the "biggies."
My goal today is to erase the mindset that we can ever "bother" God. I’ve heard many people express this very sentiment. They think to ask God for help would be bothering Him. Many people mistakenly think that God is more proud of them when they handle things on their own, showing what a "big Christian" they are for handling life's everyday problems and only "bothering" God for the "biggies."
Do you think you can ever make God say, “You are getting on my last nerve”? Some people erroneously think they can bother God. We’ve got to remember that one of God’s greatest attributes is His longsuffering nature. God is never put out when we bring a request to Him. It delights His heart to hear us bring a plea to Him. He’s the One who told us to pray without ceasing. He’s the One who said to not be worried, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto Him.
If Jesus said He Himself could do nothing on His own, how much more should we live in total dependence on God’s help? I believe God wants us to rely on Him at all times. He is a very present help in times of trouble. The Holy Spirit is referred to as our Helper. God wants to help us! And we need His help!
In the past, I have wrongly thought that if I do something on my own, I would make God proud of me because I didn’t have to bother Him. I have come to learn that the opposite is true: God is proud of me when I DO ask Him for His help.
Think of the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15). The father threw a party for the son who asked for help. The older brother got upset because the father never did anything like that for him. The dad’s response was this: “Son, you are forever with me and all that I have is yours.” Basically, the dad said, "Son, anything I have is yours for the asking." The Bible tells us that we have not because we ask not (James).
Help is available to us 24/7. Psalm 103 tells us not to forget all of the Lord’s benefits then it lists some of those wonderful benefits. I think the psalmist was meditating on those benefits when he wrote Psalm 116. He said, “What shall I give to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” He answers this all important question in the very next verse, “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.”
God gets great pleasure when you call upon Him, when you ask for something from Him, when He's able to give to you from His abundant supply. He is energized when you ask Him for a need in your life.
If you take from me, I will get depleted. Not so with God. Think about it. He’s an inexhaustible supply. He’s more than enough. He’s got so much that He can’t use it all. That’s why He gets so much pleasure when we come to Him in faith asking Him to meet our needs. He is our provider, and we can never bother Him by asking for help.
Ask God to meet your need today. And don’t stop asking for His assistance in your life. Go ahead and try to bother God...it can't be done. God is your Helper, waiting to help you in every situation, every second of the day. Just wait and see how much delight He takes in helping you!
2 comments:
Scott: I have to admit that I've been guilty of trying to do it by myself, thinking (even subconsciously perhaps) that I would somehow "impress" God.
Maybe it's because as parents we teach our kids to be independent and we cheer and applaud when they do something on their own without our help. We tell them we're so proud of them and that they're a big boy (or girl) now. And then our kids show off, saying, "Hey! Watch me! Look what I can do!"
Maybe some of that kind of thinking has trickled into my Christianity. I think, "Hey, God! Look at me! I can do it by myself! I'm a big girl now!"
Yet, like you said, Jesus did NOTHING in Himself. If Jesus can't (and God was WELL PLEASED in their relationship), then I too should rely on my Father in every area of life. Maybe God looks at HIS kids and cheers and applauds when we realize we CAN'T make it on our own! :o)
Thanks for the reminder.
Yep! You got it. The more we rely on Him to accomplish things, the more He is proud of us. When we do it ourself, we get the glory and leave Him out of the equation, and He is the equation!
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