Help!!!

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah. Psalm 46:1-3

I don't know about you, but there have been numerous times in my 32 years where I just needed HELP! And even though I was raised in the church and was taught about how God will take care of me, I often times have failed to call on Him when times have gotten difficult.

I was reading in Isaiah 31 recently, and while I still have lots of learning to do when it comes to understanding the prophet, I don't think I missed the point when it said,

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the LORD. Isaiah 31:1

You see, in their time of need, God's people were seeking help from Egypt. And, God's response in verse 3 is:

But the Egyptians are men and not God.......

It's very interasting, on the same day that I read the passage in Isaiah, I also read the following from the New Testament:

One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Luke 8:22-25

Why were the disciples scared? Had they not already witnessed Jesus' power as he healed the sick? And why would God's people turn to Egypt in their time of need? Had they not heard of all the Lord had done for His people over the years?

And what about me? Why do I forget about God's promises to me? His promises to take care of me and lead me so that I can spend eternity with Him. Over the years, I have turned to many people and things to help me in times of distress. Worse, sometimes I relied only on myself to help with a problem.

I heard a very wise statement made by a lady in Bible class recently. She said that when she was really struggling with something, that before she called her mom or her girlfriend to vent or to pour out her heart, she would take it to the Lord in prayer. Of course! Why wouldn't we turn to the Creator of the universe and the Savior of the world........first! My prayer is that from this point forward, I will turn to God when I am in need of HELP. He is the only answer when we are in the midst of life's storms. And, hopefully, I won't forget that He has already claimed the victory through the death and resurrection of His son, Jesus!

What about you? What do you do when you need help? Can't wait to hear from you!