Open Your Heart

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 NIV

We are not meant to be alone; we are not wired that way.  The Lord set the tone for this basic Bible truth right from the beginning.

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 NIV.

“The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18 NIV

God sent help, early on, in the garden. In this case, He created a woman to be that helper.

“So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” Genesis 2:21-22 NIV

God created us. He cares for us. His desire is to fellowship with us, and to be our entire focus. But does this mean we shut everything else out, so we blind ourselves to the “helpers” He puts in our lives?

Our Lord set a pattern in the beginning; in this same account he promised the ultimate “helper.” He is our Lord and Savior – Christ Jesus!

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman,  and   between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head,  and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:6-15 NIV

Adam and Eve were going through a very difficult time. Having committed the original sin and now having to leave the comfort of the garden to face an eventual death, temporarily separated from God, would qualify as life altering by anyone’s standards. But, in the midst of their struggles, God promised a “helper.”

I submit that God does this throughout the Bible, and throughout our lives. Amazingly, we sometimes fail to see this as we are solely focused on our commitment to “ride out” our storm.  We seek help from Him and Him alone, but let us not be blinded to the help He sends us. Often, in answer to our prayers, He sends someone into our lives to help us through our storm.

It is written,

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV

Moses was sent to the Israelites, ravens were sent to Elijah, Jonah was sent to the Ninevites, and Paul was sent primarily for the Gentiles.

Why is it so hard, at times, for us partisans of Christ to accept help from others? Perhaps it’s simply pride that gives us the mindset that we can make it alone. While we seek God in every trial, we should remember that He often sends someone to help us when we need and seek Him.  Do not fall into the enemy’s snare and believe that the one the Lord sends to lend a hand in our time of need, should be ignored while we await His hand. The enemy would be happy to have us look past someone, that God sends to comfort and help us during a time of struggle. If you’re not sure the person offering to help was sent by the Lord or by the enemy, pray through it first. Ask God to give you His peace before proceeding.

He already sent his Son, He already came Himself, and He is coming again. He is the only one that knows when He is coming back.  When the Lord sends someone to your aid, welcome them and thank God for His provision. Continue to seek Him, listen for Him, and open your eyes to who/what He provides. While we await His return, let us open our hearts and our eyes to that which he sends to “help” us through life’s trials.

To Him forever be the glory!

Barnabas

 

Special thanks to this guest submission by Barnabas.