In what ways does God help me when I feel helpless?
2 Samuel 22:5-7“The waves of death overwhelmed me; floods of destruction swept over me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.”
Psalm 10:12, 14Arise, O Lord! Punish the wicked, O God! Do not ignore the helpless! . . . But you see the trouble and grief they cause. You take note of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in you. You defend the orphans.
Psalm 12:5The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”
Psalm 40:17As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts. You are my helper and my savior. O my God, do not delay.
Psalm 121:1-2, 8I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! . . . The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
When we feel helpless, God stands ready as our defender. Only God himself can defend us against the forces of evil.
Isaiah 33:24The people of Israel will no longer say, “We are sick and helpless,” for the Lord will forgive their sins.
Romans 5:8God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 8:1-2So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
1 John 1:9If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
God helps us by forgiving our sins. When we sin, we often experience guilt, damaged relationships, and other consequences. We may be tempted to try to “fix” what we have done before turning to God and admitting the shame of our sin. This is a trap. We cannot overcome sin without relying on our Savior. Once we repent and receive forgiveness, we will be in a much healthier place for moving forward.
John 14:16-17“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”
Romans 8:26The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
Philippians 1:19I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.
The Holy Spirit helps us, even when we don’t know what to do or how to pray in a certain situation.
2 Chronicles 25:8If you let them go with your troops into battle, you will be defeated by the enemy no matter how well you fight. God will overthrow you, for he has the power to help you or to trip you up.”
Psalm 28:7The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Psalm 31:22In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.
Psalm 33:20We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.
Psalm 35:10With every bone in my body I will praise him: “Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”
Psalm 46:1God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
Isaiah 41:10, 13-14“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. . . . For I hold you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you. Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the Lord, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.’”
Psalm 54:4God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive!
Psalm 115:9-11O Israel, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield. O priests, descendants of Aaron, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield. All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.
Acts 26:22God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen.
God is our refuge, strength, and shield. His help is active, not passive—he rescues, he protects, and he strengthens.
Psalm 142:3When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.
God gives direction. The One who knows the way will lead us.
Genesis 4:12-15No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.” Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment is too great for me to bear! You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!” The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him.
Proverbs 3:11-12My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
Hebrews 12:6“For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
God mercifully disciplines us in order to restore us.
1 Thessalonians 2:2You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.
God gives us courage in the face of opposition.
1 Samuel 12:8When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land.
God sends others to help us. The One who sees our helplessness sends helpers.
Deuteronomy 7:21-24“No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the Lord your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God. The Lord your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you. But the Lord your God will hand them over to you. He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed. He will put their kings in your power, and you will erase their names from the face of the earth. No one will be able to stand against you, and you will destroy them all.”
Sometimes God’s help is a gradual process; otherwise, we wouldn’t appreciate it or couldn’t handle it. God’s timing brings the most help at the best time.
