The well-known adage says it all: Life is difficult. Trials and tribulations are common in this world. People try and avoid troubles and minimize them, yet they can be stressful and overwhelming, leaving a person confused, lost, and desperate. So how exactly does a person ask God for help in times like this?
Asking God for help is done through the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Christians can seek God’s help through prayer, studying the Bible, attending church, and seeking wisdom from those who are mature and grounded in their faith.
What does the Bible say about God’s response to people’s cries for help? How can a person ask God for help through prayer, Bible reading, church attendance, and seeking wisdom? What does the Bible teach about these approaches? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions and others.
Also see How Can A Person Get Right With God? to learn more.
God hears his childrens’ cries for help
The Bible teaches that God hears the desperate prayers of believers. He cares about the pleas of his sons and daughters more than they can imagine. Although God stands ready to help and has the power to do so, he answers his childrens’ requests according to his wisdom and in his perfect timing.
- Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
- Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
- Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
- Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
- John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
“Fear not because your prayer is stammering, your words feeble, and your language poor. Jesus can understand you.” ~ J.C. Ryle
Also see How to Hear from God? to learn more.
The only way to the Father is through Jesus Christ
God’s help doesn’t come apart from Jesus Christ, but through him. People have access to the Father because Christ enabled it through his death and resurrection. The Gospel declares that God sent his son Jesus into the world to save it from sin, which he did by dying on a cross and then physically rising from the dead three days later. Jesus then ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers.
- John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
- Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
- 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”
- Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
- Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“No other religion has ever claimed that its historical founder is the one and only supreme deity. Nor has any other religion ever dared to suggest that the one true God loves us enough to die for us. This is the glory and the beauty of Christianity. Because God is just, there had to be a payment for sin. Because God is love, He was willing to make the payment in the Person of His own Son.” ~ Philip Graham Ryken
Also see Does God Hate Me? to learn more.
Asking God for help through prayer
Prayer is how people can directly ask God for help. When a person prays for help, they aren’t only describing their needs, but they are expressing faith in God’s ability to help them. Prayer may also involve confession of sin, thankfulness for Jesus Christ, petitions for a loved one, and praising God for his character, plan, and faithfulness.
- Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
- Ephesians 3:12, “In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.”
- Romans 8:15, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’“
- Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing“
“The prevailing idea seems to be, that I come to God and ask Him for something that I want, and that I expect Him to give me that which I have asked. But this is a most dishonoring and degrading conception. The popular belief reduces God to a servant, our servant: doing our bidding, performing our pleasure, granting our desires. No, prayer is coming to God, telling Him my need, committing my way unto the Lord, and leaving Him to deal with it as seemeth Him best.” ~ A.W. Pink
Discovering God’s help through the Bible
If prayer is the primary way that people communicate with God, then the Bible is the primary way in which he speaks to people. God’s Word — from Genesis to Revelation — is inspired by the Holy Spirit. When people read the Bible, they hear his voice, understand his character, learn his plan, and discover how to please him. The Bible is indispensable for God’s children.
- 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”
- Romans 15:4, “For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.”
- 2 Peter 1:21, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
- John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
- 2 Samuel 7:28, “And now, O Lord God, You are God! Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.”
“Here then, is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God’s Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy.” ~ R.C. Sproul
Seeking God’s help through church attendance
Some people think that going to church is a waste of time. Others find it boring. Yet another group of people thinks they won’t be welcomed. However, most people who begin attending a Bible-teaching church and meet some of the people who also attend there, realize that they had incorrect expectations. Church helps people respond to the Gospel, develop a prayer life, and understand the Bible.
- Hebrews 10:25, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (NLT)
- Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
- Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
- Acts 9:31, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.”
- Acts 16:5, “So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.”
“We desperately need the church for love, for maturity and preparedness, for spiritual care. It is arrogant, rebellious, self-reliant, God-indicting pride to conclude that the church is an optional extra to the Christian life. We need everything God designs for us. Everything. To reject what God designs for His glory and our good is spiritual suicide. To reject the church is to take your own spiritual life.” ~ Thabiti Anyabwile
Seeking God’s help through seeking wisdom
Most people know a Christian whose faith is strong who they can ask for help. If some people don’t know anyone like that, attending a Bible-teaching church will help them to meet some. Mature Christians can help a person through teaching, advising, praying, and mentoring them. Their relationship with God can also provide an example for someone who is younger in their faith.
- Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
- Psalm 145:4, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”
- 2 Timothy 2:2, “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
- Proverbs 9:9, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
- Proverbs 4:7, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.”
“Discipling means helping others follow Jesus. Discipling is a relationship in which we seek to do spiritual good for someone by initiating, teaching, correcting, modeling, loving, humbling ourselves, counseling, and influencing.” ~ Mark Dever
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