God Helps Me

"You will always help me, Lord God, and keep me from falling.." - Psalm 54:4

I use my computer daily. That doesn't make me an expert - far from it! - but over the years, I have figured out how I can use that complex machine that sits on my desk to help me get my work done.

When I need some help on the computer, my first port of call is usually the "Help" feature for the particular program I am using. In one of the applications I use, the "Help" feature is identified by a depiction of a light bulb. The light bulb symbolizes an idea, something that illuminates what was otherwise impossible to see.

As the verse from Psalm 54 reminds us that, long before we had computers, we had a "Help" feature for life: the Lord God who made us, who redeems us, and who richly and daily sustains us. The Lord is the one to whom we can truly turn for help - perhaps not for solving a computer problem, but for leading us and guiding us through life.

When I find myself feeling that I need to solve overwhelming problems on my own, I sometimes look ahead and see only darkness. Then I remember that I have a powerful partner in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I turn to him in prayer. I depend on his promise: "Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you." (Matthew 7:7) In God I can put my trust unconditionally. When the Lord helps me, all my problems have solutions. I thank God for that blessed assurance in my daily life and work.

Bringing It Home:
1. Are you facing a particular problem at home or work? Find a quiet spot, and take a moment to turn that problem over to the Lord, and open yourself to God's love, power, and justice.
2. Read Matthew 7:7-12. Do you know someone who is currently facing Problems for which there appear to be no practical solutions? How can you share the illuminating Good News of God's love, wisdom, and power with that person this week?

Prayer:
Gracious Lord, you are my helper, and you lighten my darkness. By your grace and by the power of your Holy Spirit, help me to be a light to others, so that they, too, may know of your wisdom and love, made known to us through your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Dave Hanson, Pastor
Wilmette Lutheran Church / Wilmette, Illinois
wilmluthchurch@earthlink.net
As posted to Faith At Work