Tired and Crying for Help!

(Image courtesy of http://strokeconnection.strokeassociation.org.)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in Heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  Though you have not seen Him, you love Him.  Through you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:3-9).

My prayers lately have consisted of, largely, three words: "Lord, help me."  I have not stamina or energy to continue to meet the demands of life, it seems.  I am doing all that I can just to stay afloat at work, at home, and at church.  Life seems like it is going one-hundred miles per hour and I am swirling in the middle of the vortex, gasping for air and grasping for help.  "Lord, help me" is about all I can utter at this moment.

However, it doesn't need to be that way.


When one goes a day without eating, he feels weak and in need of help - namely, he needs nutrition that comes from food, which produces energy.  Just as one must eat to keep up their strength, so must one eat the bread of Jesus and the wine that He gives to maintain strength and fidelity.

This morning, as I have done a handful of times in recent weeks, I knelt with my daughter (who will be two in a few months) by the side of our couch.  Our knees were on the rug and our hands were folded on the couch as together we prayed.  "Lord, please help us," I began, breathing out a sigh of fatigue.

On my commute to work, I began to think about my current circumstances, and was struck with the reality of my situation.  It is okay to be tired for a little while, but a Christian must not remain in a state of helplessness.

Peter tells us why.

He says, "You have been born again!"  That means we have a new spirit - God's own Spirit! - living in us, empowering us to rejoice!  The God of Heaven has given us bread to eat and drink to drink, in order that we might be sustained every minute of our exile here on earth, until we see (and we certainly will see) the "inheritance that is imperishable".  Humans are forgetful, however, so one must be reminded of this and partake of His Word (the bread) and His redemption (the wine) daily to find strength.

Indeed, we are not defeated as Christians.  In need of help, yes - we need His grace every moment - but we ought not be defeated by the effects of sin on our mortal bodies.  On the contrary, we have been saved to a "living hope", no longer enslaved to the wages of sin which is death.  We have a sure hope; it will not pass away.

Hence, we rejoice, even though, for now, we face trials of many kinds, such as fatigue, stress, sickness, pain, and problems.  In the face of such trials, what is our cause for rejoicing?  We have been born again, and in all trials our Father God is redeeming for Himself a people who are holy and righteous, in order that He would receive glory and honor through the work of His Son.

My wife and I are currently memorizing the Westminster Shorter Catechism.  Two questions specifically give me great joy: question one and question seven, which state:

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. 

Q. 7. What are the decrees of God?
A. The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.

 All things are to the glory of God.  And this much I know: He will not leave His glory to another.  He did not create the world and hope that it glorified Him.  He did not send His Son to die for humans and hope they found Him, and hope they remained in Him, so that He might be glorified.  No, God is too holy and jealous for that.  Instead, He elects His people, in spite of their sin, and remakes them for Himself, that He might receive glory in their redemption!

My God is for me and He is my ever-present help in time of need.  And I will rejoice, therefore, in all circumstances, as His Spirit works powerfully in me to sustain me to the end.

Let us not be tired for long, brothers and sisters.  But let us consider Jesus, our "living hope," that we might run with endurance the race marked out for us, and that we might receive the "imperishable inheritance", even Christ our Lord Himself.

Take heart!  Look to Christ and receive strength and sustenance to endure to the end.


"It is not your hold of Christ that saves, but His hold of you" (C.H. Spurgeon).