I Can’t Do It by Myself!

At the time of this writing, my daughter is two years old, and though she is not a terror, she does enjoy having her own way. Her favorite phrase to say is, “I do it!” One of her favorite snacks is Babybel cheese (those little round cheeses that come wrapped in wax covered in a plastic wrap). Every time she is given a Babybel cheese to eat, she wants to unwrap it herself. The only problem is that she cannot! She manages to get the plastic wrapper off most of the time, especially if someone starts to open it just a little bit, but she cannot pull the tab to remove the wax layer. Therefore, every day she and I have this battle of her insisting she can “do it” herself; but alas, she cannot.

While reading Psalm 50 one day, I was reminded that we often are like my little girl. God tells us in verse 15, And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. So many times in my life, I have been in that …day of trouble:… Many times, I have faced circumstances beyond my control, but I wanted to “do it myself.” Just like my daughter with her little, wax-wrapped snack that she could not wait to open, I was determined that I could handle it. Meanwhile, God was waiting patiently for me to ask for His help. I can picture Him eagerly sitting up in Heaven while watching us struggle and saying, “Come on! Just ask for help. I want to help you! All you have to do is ask.”

Unfortunately, we often continue to struggle on our own because we are too proud or too stubborn to ask for help. Maybe we feel as if we did wrong and deserve to be in trouble (and maybe we do deserve to be in trouble), but God still wants to help us. He is just waiting for us to call out to Him. How many times do we miss out on God’s blessings because we are determined to “do it ourselves?”

I am always amazed at the Israelites. Exodus 2:23 says, And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. They did not cry to God when the Egyptians forced them to …serve with rigour: in Exodus 1. They did not cry to God when their babies were taken away and killed. Their cry came much later, when Moses was 80 years old and in the desert. How much sooner would God have come to their aid before that if they had just cried to Him?

We are often the same way. We do not want to “bother God” when we have a “little problem.” We may even think, “God helps those who help themselves.” We may even be thinking, “I messed up and got myself into this situation, so it’s up to me to get out of it.” This line of thinking is just as silly as that of the child who disobeys by going outside when he is told not to go, then ends up falling and scraping his knee. Imagine the mother expecting that child to take care of his injury by himself, even if his disobedience resulted in that injury. As a mother, I would draw him into my arms, hold him, clean his wound, and apply a bandage.

Our Heavenly Father cares even more for us. He does not sit in Heaven saying, “Well, if you hadn’t disobeyed, you wouldn’t be in this mess.” He wants to pick us up, care for our wounds, and help to get us going in the right direction. He tells us to call on Him in the day of trouble. He will deliver you and will do so in such a way that He gets the glory.

Just call on Him! You cannot do it alone; but with His help, you can!

by Vicki Voorhis

Previous article
Next article

Related Stories

spot_img

Discover

He Gets Me

I recently read the back of a person’s T-shirt that said, “He gets me.”...

Never Surrender to Sorrow

In the heart of the historical books of II Samuel 10 and I Chronicles...

Home Sweet Home

It is the biggest encouragement to me to know my husband loves his home so much so that when he is away, he looks forward to returning home.

Never Alone

A statement said to me recently made me sad. It was, “I feel so alone, especially in a particularly large gathering.” Have you been there? Have you felt isolated and oblivious to people around you?

They Ceased Not

And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach...

Never Without a Purpose

“Why bother?”  “What am I good for?”  “Can God even use me?”  “If they...

Fighting For Innocence

America has always been a worldwide symbol of endless opportunities. For hundreds of years,...

Revival and Bible Memorization

Some may be wondering what revival and Bible memorization have in common. The Lord...

Rooted and Grounded

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and...

Why Your “Spot” Is So Important

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came...

Stop Making Excuses

We may think that our being too busy and not having enough time to read the Bible is a valid excuse because the year is 2020; after all, we work eight to twelve hours per day. Wrong!

Go to the Ant

I sat at work early one morning, waiting for my cup of coffee to...

Better in 2023

A new year means a new opportunity to be a better Christian. It is...

Be Mary In A Martha World

So many Christian ladies, especially new Christians, get involved in so many things that they neglect their own personal walks with the Lord. Like Martha, they have received Jesus, but they are not spending any time with Him.

An Opportunity for Fellowship

Hey there, Christian Ladies Fellowship ladies! We are taking a brief moment in this...

Popular Categories

Comments

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Get a daily devotion in your inbox here.

X