Two words—HELP ME. These words are no stranger to these lips. They are the words heard by the Domino’s delivery man on the other end of the phone when my wife Elizabeth is gone for an evening and its my turn to feed the kids. The auto mechanic probably knows my voice well—he definitely knows these words from my lips. Help Me. Tax season comes around, yep, two words.
My wife knows all too well, I’m not the mechanical guy. Most men have Honey Do Lists, I have Honey Don’ts! It’s probably best that we rent and not own. Help Me. These may be the two most common words on my mouth when I speak to God. In my falling short as a husband, a father a human-being—HELP ME. In my sin, my failure to obey, my brokenness. HELP ME. I desperately needed Christ’s help before I was a believer, and it is no different today. If you ever whisper this in desperation to God, you’re not alone.
HELP…the word occurs 187x in the Bible. It is strewn through the whole storyline of Scripture. The stories of the Old Testament are filled with individuals needing help and asking for it. We are not alone. The Exodus event is one of the most significant saving moments in biblical history. Have you ever noticed the catalyst for such a saving action? Look at Exodus 2:23.
“During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.”
HELP. That was the catalyst. God’s people cried to God for help, he heard them and he moved. It was no different when God’s people were in danger in the wilderness, when they took the promised land, when they were in danger from other nations, when they were in exile or any other time they were in need. They cried for help and God answered.
The Psalmists exhaust the vocabulary of help. They teach us that we are not alone, they embolden us to call for his help. The create confidence in the reality that “there is none like God…who rides through the heavens to your help” (Deut 33:26). The Psalmist poses the question in Psalm 121:1: “I lift my eyes up to the mountains where does my help come from?” The most profound answer to that question is of course, Christ.
Hebrews 2:14-18 uses the language of help three times. It speaks of a help in the face of death, in the face of satan, in the face of sin and in the face of temptation. It is a help that requires a birth, a death and a resurrection. God helps us in Christ. He deals with our greatest needs assuring us he will help us with everything else.
If you have ever wondered: Will God help me? Does he care? Is he interested in helping me? Does he here when I cry for help? The crib, the cross and the empty tomb are God’s definitive YES! He has helped us and he will continue to help us. Let those two words move from your heart to your mouth: HELP ME. God will not fail you.