Can You Help Me?

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Recently, I had the chance to watch the movie, Good Morning, Miss Dove, a classic movie about a spinster teacher in a small community. She sacrificed her life’s dreams in order to stay in this community to repay her father’s debt upon his death. The movie is a study of a life well lived helping to raise the students in this community. Miss Dove knows each and every student, their weaknesses, their strengths, and has prepared each one for their life. She has helped them all. Suddenly, she is in need of help, but she has a hard time asking anyone for it. Why is asking for help so hard for us?

For months, we had been in the midst of a quandary. Randy’s only remaining original joint, his left hip, was causing him excruciating pain. Elective surgery had been suspended, and the doctor had told him that surgery would happen as soon as the hospital opened again. We tried dealing with this situation on our own not wanting to bother God for help – He has a lot going on! Finally, we found ourselves saying, “Oh, God, can you help us? We need relief!”

Explaining the sequence of events after that plea is nothing short of a miracle! Randy called the doctor to request pain meds, the doctor petitioned the hospital for surgery, the next day Randy was in the operating room! The surgery was at 9, and he was home by 2!! God was telling us that indeed He can help!

We are so like Miss Dove. We try to do everything all on our own. Finally, we get to that point where we realize we can’t do it on our own! We’ve tried everything except asking for His help. What does it take to get us to ask for help?

First, it takes humility. We have to get over the idea that we can do it on our own, and humble ourselves before God to ask Him for help.

Next, it takes the ability to trust Him. We know we aren’t in control and that Jesus can get us through this, but sometimes it takes just saying “I need Your help, and I trust You to give it” and say it out loud. Jesus can get us through it. Can you help me?

Finally, it takes the power given to us when we ask God for help. We can have the power to make a change in our situation and allow God to lead us in doing this. It’s not enough to think these things in our head and heart, we need the power to say the words, Jesus, can you help me?

The question is not, Can you help me, Jesus – that’s a given. The questions are, “Are we willing to humble ourselves to ask for that help? Are we willing to trust Him to give the help? Are we willing to use the power he gives to change the situation.?”

We can keep trying to do it all on our own in trying times, or we can just say out loud, Jesus, help me.

So, what do we say to those of us who have said out loud, Can you help me, Jesus, and not received the answer we expected? No human can answer, that, but Psalm 27:14 has the answer, “Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.”

Jesus can get us through.