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Self-help and help from above

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Lord, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. – Psalm 141:1-2

I believe in both: helping yourself and help from above. Heaven only helps when there is self-help. God can only help you when you help yourself, when you do your part. God does not work all by Himself. He works with what you do. So, you need to see if you’re praying when you need to act, or acting when you need to pray.

Helping yourself means doing what is up to you to do, not waiting for anyone, not even for God to do what you’re supposed to do yourself. There’s no point in complaining or asking Him why this or that hasn’t yet happened when you haven’t even done your part.

But there is a limit to self-help: the limit is yourself. Self-help ends when there is nothing else you can do. This is where help from above starts.

David, the psalmist, used the words above in prayer when he was persecuted by King Saul, who wanted him dead. There was nothing else David could do. The king and all his troops were on a manhunt for David like a lion after his prey. David would hide in caves and pray for God’s protection and deliverance — the help from above.

If you are at the point where there is nothing else you can do, then it’s time to do what David did: Call out to God with faith.

Right where you are, or in the nearest room, you can pour out your fears, anxieties and doubts before God. Present your request to Him, with faith. Just as He answered David, He will answer you as well!

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That being said, we’re starting today a seven-day meditation on Psalm 141 – with all those who attend the Love Therapy and you, dear reader of my blog, who is in need of help from above right now. Here’s how to join in:

 

  1. Read Psalm 141 in your Bible and meditate on its words throughout this week.
  2. Make a prayer request to God for your love life (or any other area where there is a more urgent need) during the morning hours for seven days as of today.
  3. Be specific in your request; write it down on a sheet of paper and keep it in your Bible, on the page of Psalm 141.
  4. Log on to this blog daily for the next seven days and read the messages that will follow.
  5. On the seventh day (March 26th), take your request with you to the Love Therapy meeting nearest you and give it to the pastor in charge.
  6. This is optional: invite someone, who is in need of this, to join you in doing this challenge.

 

Let’s do this challenge together. Do exactly as instructed. Have faith that your request will be answered.

 

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