Helping Hand
There are many things that will help you live a meaningful life connected to God, but the most important is developing a personal relationship with Jesus.
“Aaron and his sons are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry...You shall assign to them as their responsibility all they are to carry. At the Lord’s command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry."
Numbers 4:4, 19, 24, 27, 49
God knows we need purpose in our lives. One of the most fundamental principles of finding meaning is through how we serve God and our community. It is good for us to help others. We were never meant to live isolated lives of comfort. You need to know that you are uniquely made and gifted. Comparison is not helpful when it comes to service as we each have different gifts.
As the text says, the Lord is the one who assigns work and told what to carry based on what was the best way for each person to serve. Where are you called to serve? Do you want more purpose and satisfaction? Serve the Lord and others. Ask yourself where your strengths meet a need in the world and there you will find meaningful purpose.
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Psalms 121:1-2, 7-8
David was a king, shepherd, songwriter, father, and friend. He certainly had many responsibilities and demands on his time. The truth is we all have the same 1440 minutes in a day. We choose how we spend them. David was a man of great activity and he shared a secret to living a life of great achievement. What was this secret?
He did not walk in his own strength. Where did he get the strength to help others? His help was from the Lord. Undoubtedly you will face difficult as you look to do good. You might a lack of resources or have to deal with really hard people. Where does your help come from? The Lord. You are not alone and not fighting battles in your own strength. As you seek to help, call on the Lord and He will answer. People who help others in the will of God, for the glory of God, cannot be stopped. How do you build in time to receive the help you need and go in His strength as you serve? What are your patterns for prayer and abiding with the One who helps?
“Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts. Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done. Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death. Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."
Proverbs 19:4, 6, 11, 17-18, 20-21, 23
Solomon has a lot to say on the subject of helping. God gave Solomon great wisdom and he shared it with anyone who would listen. He says the world will teach you that you should help people who can help you back. The reason people go to a king is that a king has resources. In the God's kingdom, this is not the kind of help that pleases God. What pleases God and helps us grow?
Wisdom says find ways to help those who cannot pay you back. Wisdom says it is helpful to teach your children and future generations the value of living intentionally through a disciplined life. Our world loves to share the message of do what makes you feel happy even though that might cause great harm to your soul. God says you can help yourself and those you care about if you live a life of discipline. Is there any area of your life that would be helped by increasing your generosity and giving to the poor? Is there anywhere you could institute more discipline to unlock the best life you could live?
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness...The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Let us examine our ways and test them...and let us return to the Lord."
Lamentations 3:21-26, 31-33, 39-42, 55-58
Jeremiah says hope is helpful to your soul. With God, we have a renewed daily hope knowing that each day, whether we have followed closely or rebelled greatly, God's mercies are new each morning. His compassion never fails. Have you received the compassion and mercy of the Lord today? Do you feel whole and at peace?
Jeremiah says it is helpful to be patient. When we try to run ahead of God and do things in our timing we can experience unnecessary pain. Faith says I can be patient because I trust in God's timing. God is never late, nor delayed in doing what is best for you. Where do you need to pause, step back, and wait on the Lord for the help you have been seeking? How can you praise God for the waiting?
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us...where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 5:1-6, 8, 10-12, 15-21
What will help you more than anything else today? Embracing the truth that you are loved by Jesus Christ. How does His love help us and change our perspective? When we read the scriptures we can see that our help does come from God through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus first helps us by making us in right relationship with God and giving us the peace of Christ that could not be purchased by any other means than the cross.
Look closely at what Paul writes. It was not when you were perfect, or lived flawlessly, that Christ died for you. So often fear, shame, and guilt can drive us away from the healing and help Jesus offers us. The truth is that it was when your life was or is a mess, when you failed miserably, when you sinned intentionally or unintentionally and when you didn't have a way to help yourself that Jesus stepped in and said you belong to me. Where sin increased, grace increased more that we would always have the help we need to experience the eternal life we can find through Jesus.
How does all this change our day today? We can walk in freedom and with the faith filled perspective that God makes all things work for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. He is always there to help us. Paul writes God helps us when we suffer, He helps us when we persevere, He helps us develop character that will glorify Him, and He helps us when we need hope. We can praise the Lord all the time for always being our healing, our hope, and our help. You are held in the palm of His hand and He wants you to know more than anything that as you draw close to Him, as you serve Him, as you journey each day, He is with you and He is for you always. He is your helping hand.