God Is Our Helper
By Jessica Van Roekel
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2, ESV).
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by so much to do in a day? There are times when it feels like I wander around my home and wonder what to do next. The list seems long and never gets shorter. I wake up the next day, and there’s more added to the list. Clean the bathroom. Go to the bank. Call the accountant. Make dentist appointments. Take care of clients. Take care of yourself. Pretty soon, it’s weeks before I finally get around to making that dental appointment and even longer before I sweep the dust bunnies. These are the tangible items that press in to take our attention, but there’s more than just the external living that we do. There’s the internal too.
The internal place is where we feel anxious about the future or frustrated with the present. It begins to demand attention if we ignore it for too long. Our worries linger on the edge of our consciousness, and we lost sleep. Then we snap at our loved ones because the tension inside us reaches a breaking point. After that, we add guilty conscience to our list of things. The next day comes, and more instances like these get added to the list. Eventually, we can’t add any more, and we’re left sidelined because life has become too much. Instead of living from a place of victory in Christ, we’re barely able to see our next step.
In Mark 10:46-52, we read about a blind man named Bartimaeus, who was sidelined from life. He begged from the side of the road and his daily sustenance came from those who took pity on him. One day, he heard that Jesus was near, and he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,” (Mark 10:47, ESV). Those on street told him to be quiet, but he ignored them and cried even louder. Jesus called for him to come and Bartimaeus threw off his cloak, sprang to his feet, and stood before Jesus. Jesus looked at him and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51).
There are three things we can learn from Bartimaeus. One, he knew what Jesus could do. He had heard the stories of Jesus’ miracles, and he believed. In our days filled with life’s ups and downs, we can forget that he walked on water, healed hearts, and rose from the dead. We need to remember that he is more than a great teacher, he is our help, and he makes his power available to us.
When was the last time you begged Jesus for help? Or are you like me and try to solve problems on your own first? Sometimes we value independence and view dependence as weakness. Jesus becomes a last resort instead of our first choice. There is great power in admitting we need help. He loves it when we call out to him.
The next lesson we can learn from Bartimaeus is that he ignored the voices that told him to be quiet. Maybe there’s someone in your life or your own voice that tells you that Jesus can’t be bothered by your requests for help with the ordinary problems in life. Maybe you think that you need to reserve your requests for big issues. But God cares and desires to help us in our everyday lives, from helping us through difficult situations to knowing the next step to take in the unending to-do list.
Third, Bartimaeus knew what he wanted Jesus to do for him. He wanted to see again. Do you know what you want Jesus to do for you? Maybe you need peace because you’re anxious about many things. Or you need strength because your journey has an unwanted diagnosis. But maybe you don’t know, and that’s okay. The beautiful thing about following God is that you can ask him what you need. You can say, “Lord, I know I need help, but I’m not sure what kind of help. Would you show me?” Then, take a moment in silent prayer and listen for his voice.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
God is our main source of help, not our jobs, families, or friends. He is compassionate toward us in our needs and desires to act on our behalf. When we look beyond the factors that overwhelm us, we can call on God to be our help. He answers us and meets us right where we’re at. We can call on his name and expect his reply.
Further Reading:
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