Help, I Need Somebody!
“Help, I need somebody!” Hey, if the Beatles can admit it . . . they need somebody, why can’t you and I? I don’t want to stretch the example of the Beatles too far, but there is something about our human nature that is fairly predictable. At times it is quite admirable while at other times somewhat unattractive and unproductive. I’m thinking of our propensity for self-reliance. Call it independence if you like or even the “do it yourself” mindset.
Throughout biblical history God has said, “lean on me.” Proverbs 3:5 says trust in the Lord with all our heart and avoid leaning on our own understanding. That doesn’t imply we are to be mindless followers of Jesus, but that God as our Father is trustworthy to be a keeper of His promises. Where we sometimes miss the mark is in actually understanding what God says and reading “I promise” where it doesn’t belong or petulantly tapping our feet with impatience while God arranges the big picture first.
It isn’t easy at times to trust God or wait on Him to come through. To say it is would be misleading. We may see some scriptural accounts of God at work or know someone that God did something for and we might be quick to assume that’s God’s patented mode of operation. Caution! Don’t box Him in. God is very dependable and very consistent in character, but we had best not throw the word “predictable” in there since He flatly declares His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. (Basicly Isaiah 55:8)
Even knowing that some have been failed miserably by an earthly father, God wants us to look beyond that to see Him as the epitome of “Father.” Is there risk here? Yes! But it is generated and magnified by what we have experienced through “earthy” examples, not from an honest personal connection. People without a faith life (if there is such a thing) might view dependence on God as weakness. God sees it as strength. Faith invested wisely is strength. A great thing about God is that He is willing to be put to the test. He knows what He brings to the table. So I encourage you, wherever you are in your walk of faith, to inch your way towards needing God more and trusting Him. Not just when you are desperate and there’s no way out. That’s the well-worn road. Blaze a fresh trail. Think About It.