Good morning, One of the hardest things for many of us to say is, “I need help.” Instead of admitting that, did you struggle for an hour on a homework problem, only to end up frustrated and discouraged? Did you pretend to know how to carry out a work assignment, rather than ask for help? How many problems have you kept from your spouse, friends, and others because you felt, “I can handle this on my own.”? It’s hard to say, but asking for help is worth it. A teacher can make sense out of a difficult subject. An experienced coworker can demonstrate the best way to tackle the job. A seemingly unsolvable dilemma can be unraveled by someone with a different perspective. Afterwards, you breathe a sigh of relief and wonder why you didn’t ask for help sooner. The Lord places family, fellow believers, and others in our lives who want to help. Don’t be afraid to ask. Above all, God wants to help. We desperately need His help, especially help with the burden and guilt of our sins. There is nothing more dangerous and frightening than trying to deal with sin ourselves. We could try to make up for it, conceal it, and excuse it. But no matter what we might do, it would only make things worse. It would be like trying to clean a mirror with a greasy rag. The harder you would rub and scrub, the grimier the mirror would be. God doesn’t expect us to fix our sin problem ourselves. He wants us to humbly pray, “I need Your help.” We don’t have to justify why He should help us. We deserve nothing but punishment, yet Jesus promises, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (Jn. 6:37). He solved our sin problem once and for all. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5: 21). And it’s not just spiritual help which the Lord provides. He urges us to bring all of our questions, needs, and problems to Him. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:6). Keep in mind the help, relief, and peace which the Lord gives, and it’s much easier to say, “I need Your help, Lord!” Let’s pray it often! Yours in Christ, Pastor Services tomorrow are at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. The choir will sing in first service. Sunday school begins at 9:15 a.m. and Bible class at 9:30 a.m.
