I remember back in my mid 20s and 30s when I was chronically underemployed. I was a lawyer getting into more and more debt. I both feared and hated the courtroom; and was drastically ill equipped to write legal briefs, memos or litigate. I had absolutely no idea what job to apply for. Everything was horrifically scary.
And so I struggled as I moved from one low-paying temp job to the next. I did clerical work, I hauled heavy boxes, I was a receptionist, I cut cable. Twice, I was a medical “model” where numerous students got to poke my belly with an ultrasound machine. My life was unglamorous and everyone around me knew it! There was no way I could hide the fact that I was flat broke, totally clueless, sometimes faithless, and often running scared.
Needless to say, those around me offered plenty of advice. Some of this was good. But some of it was soul crushing. The worst advice I ever got was when someone sought to motivate me with the trite saying “God helps those who help themselves!”
So I’d like to unpack this. This blog will examine why people give this advice, what it truly means, and whether it’s even true. I’ll then end with a better phrase and how you can really help yourself.
Why People Say “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves”
Context is king. I’ve heard this advice from both Christians and non-Christians when they’re frustrated you’re not doing enough. Some are generally concerned. They say this to get you moving because they see you as passive and worry that bad things will happen if you stay the course. And when you’re unsure of the course, this advice suddenly becomes more compelling. Others are disgusted or upset because you didn’t take their specific advice. And so they yell “CATCH” and then throw you a big ball of flames. (A trite saying that really means GOOD RIDDANCE!)
The True Implications of “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves”
The problem is that this advice has nothing to do with God at all. It requires no knowledge of God. It requires no belief in God. And it never even considers if you are helping yourself in the way God approves. They might as well just say GO DO SOMETHING OR PERISH! WHAT GOD THINKS IS IRRELEVANT.
Sometimes, you can test a phrase with absurd examples to see if it truly holds water. For example: Hitler helped himself plenty. So was God helping him when he exterminated 6 million Jews? What about 9/11? Or the numerous mass shooters in our high schools? Did God whip out the pom poms and start cheering for them?
And think about the Muslims and atheists who violently persecute Christians and Jews? Are they supposed to be applauded because they helped themselves? Is God helping the rich man who ignores the poor and cheats his business partners? Does he receive special favor when he’s hard at work hoarding his money and buying the latest toys?
The answer is of course not. And by the way, what do we even mean by HELP? Is it just helping yourself to anything you want? And by any means? Or does it have to be helping yourself in a “good” karmic sort of way? Are we supposed to assume that the help must be beneficial? Something “nice” or “good” as opposed to destructive? The phrase doesn’t limit it to such, but for argument’s sake, let’s assume that it does.
This brings us to the next obvious question: Who is it who determines what is good? And how can we know it’s good? After all, how many of us shoot for “good” things that later turned out to be disasters? The girl who gave you an STD… the job or relationship that was totally toxic… the great investment that turned out to be a fraud? Should we blindly help ourselves to anything and hope that God will bless us for it? This sounds ridiculous. It has no basis in reality.
God is the author of all that is good. God is the only one who knows what’s best for us. His ways are higher than our ways just as the heavens are higher than the earth. We get no brownie points for blindly charging forward like a three old dashing onto a busy highway. And when we’re scared, this is exactly what we’re tempted to do.
God examines our hearts, our motives, our knowledge and our circumstances. He also looks to see if what we say, think or do is in line with His character and fits into His plans. The right things at the wrong time are the wrong things. It is in God and through God that we have every blessing. Anything apart from Him is meaningless. It is not enough to help ourselves plenty! Yes, being “passive” is bad. But it’s not automatically worse than being reckless and outright disobedient!
The Kind of Help We Should Ask For/The Things We Should Do To Help Ourselves
Before I say the magic phrase to replace the one in the title, I need to go into who our God is and what He wants for us. Otherwise, we’re bound to seek the wrong help and keep taking the wrong action.
Our God is truly amazing. He is the champion of the drug addict, the orphan, the weak, and the clueless. He defends the dumb, the hapless, and at times, even the reckless! This is the God who sent Jesus to Earth to die for us while we all opposed God. This is the God who lowered Himself to be a man, so that He would be killed and then resurrected to live inside those who embrace His name. So when I say God, I am specifically referring to Jesus, not just God in the abstract. An abstract God gives abstract answers. But here we need concrete ones.
If we truly want to know how to help ourselves, we must know who the Helper is. What the Helper desires most, and what type of things result in both earthly and heavenly rewards.
The history of who our God is, what He most desires (and blesses), is found in both the Old and New Testaments.
Scripture says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Further, in John 15:5 it says that Jesus is the vine and you are the branches. He further says that “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
So working hard at anything is not the answer. If you have no faith, or rely on yourself, your efforts will amount to nothing in the long run. And the long run means eternity. But it can also apply to the here and now. It often does.
In John 14:13 Jesus further explains how you can ask for help and get blessed for it! Here, He says: Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
This means not only asking in the name of Jesus, but also asking for the right things…the things that glorify/honor God. To know what these things are means you need to see how God is described in Scripture. It also means to practice remaining in Him just to know what to ask for! Helping ourselves without His guidance is a non-starter! We must seek His face and know what glorifies Him.
This is in part, why in John 14:23 Jesus promises us that “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
It’s also why God gives us a list of the fruit of His spirit… the things that God values most. In Galatians 5:22:23, He says that the fruit of His Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
For those who ask Jesus into their life, He gives us this fruit through the Holy Spirit.
So in recap; The kind of help to ask for is
- Done in faith
- while remaining and abiding in Jesus
- which glorifies God’s character
- and which is aligned with the commandments in Scripture
New Saying: “God Helps Those Who in Faith, Prayer and Knowledge of His Character, Take Action Steps or Refrain Because They Want To Glorify His Name.”
Yes, it’s less pithy than “God helps those who help themselves.” But long and true beats false and short every time!
Examples of What Actively Helping Yourself Looks Like!
(Exercising, Faith, Action, Patience, and the Character of Jesus)
- Taking a Small Step (no matter how small) that You Would Never Normally Do but for Trusting the Lord Has Your Back. Applying for the job you’re afraid will reject you, or which you feel is beneath you. Calling someone instead of texting your apology, giving to others when you know you have $ needs of your own.
- Not Taking Instant Action When You’re Afraid-Don’t respond to life as if God is absent or won’t protect you. Fires, earthquakes, tidal waves, sexual assault and heart attacks are very real emergencies which require instant action. But for most things, we can take a moment to go to Jesus in prayer and faith, and ask Him for knowledge, wisdom and even direct intervention. Ready, fire, aim with no prayer… it’s almost always a bad approach and a total lack of faith!
- ASKING the Lord to Change Your Heart or Give You a Different Passion or New Vision.
Sure you’re meant to be the world’s best graphic designer. But just maybe, God wants you to take a detour along the way! He could also have something much better for you that you never even considered. This is what He did with me! So we must keep asking the Lord for both the courage and the humility to hear His voice, and then obey Him-even when we have no clue of the outcome. - Going Forward on God’s Promises Rather Than Simply Pursuing Our Immediate Wants, Perceived Needs and Desires. There’s nothing wrong with asking God for a high paying job, a spouse, or a bigger house for your family. But asking for our immediate needs is just the beginning. Make a habit of asking God what He wants for you in regard to His two Greatest Commandments. Seize on what He wants. Make it a routine to pray and listen to what our Creator says here. Then take a concrete step in that direction. And don’t forget to check back with Him often. That’s a big part of abiding in Him that you don’t want to miss!
Christian-SOS Blogs
- What Is Faith? How Do We Leverage Our Faith?
- Jesus In the Shower (How He Met Me)
- Praise & Prayer Time (Keeping It Vibrant & Alive)
- Faith & Works
- Index of Other Blogs
Inspirational Songs
Running Back To You (Seph Schlueter)
That’s Who I Praise (Brandon Lake)
Praise (Elevation Worship)
Thanks for sharing!