Our Help Is from the Lord

Most of us are taught from an early age that we can do anything we set our minds to. If we work hard enough, we’ll get the results we want. But faith doesn’t work that way.

When the Israelites went out to battle with Amalek, it wasn’t their strength or military skill that brought victory. It was God who fought for them. As long as Moses kept his hands raised in prayer, Israel prevailed. But when he grew weary and his arms dropped, the battle turned against them: until Aaron and Hur stood beside him to hold up his hands. Even Moses needed others to support him, reminding us that perseverance in faith is often sustained through community and intercession.

The same was true for Gideon. God told him to dismiss most of his army so that everyone would know the victory was not due to human power, but to God’s action.

When we believe we can solve all our problems on our own, what we’re really saying is that we don’t need God. We take pride in our accomplishments and assume that God must think we’re “good people.” But we’re not good enough on our own. We fail. We fall short. And we cannot earn our way into heaven.

God offers us grace, but too often we respond, “No thanks, I’ve got this.”We forget that our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Prayer is not about getting what we want. It’s about remembering who we depend on.

Jesus told a parable about a widow who kept pleading with a dishonest judge. She couldn’t achieve justice by her own efforts, so she persisted until he finally gave in. The judge wasn’t good, but her persistence won the day. Jesus uses this image to teach us that God wants us to keep coming to Him again and again. Not because He’s reluctant to help, but because we need to remember that we can’t do it alone.

God is always faithful to His promises, but He calls us to persistence in prayer and in faith, “whether it is convenient or inconvenient,” as Saint Paul says. Scripture trains us in righteousness so that we can belong to God and be equipped for every good work. These are not works of our own making, but works done by God’s grace within us.

This isn’t weakness. In fact, Saint Paul reminds us to boast of our weakness, because it reveals that our true strength comes from God. Real joy is found not in self-sufficiency, but in dying to ourselves so that we may live for Him.

While it might not seem like it, this is actually a gift. Think of the times when you’ve failed. Think of the times when you’ve given up. Think of the times when you’ve cracked under pressure.

We all come up short sometimes. Fortunately, we do not have to rely on our own power, which would surely fail. We can rely on God. He is our help, our strength, and our salvation. When we lean on Him, His strength never runs out, and His mercy never fails.