O God Help Me!

10.09.11

Nehemiah 2.4-5 4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” NIV

I love this little passage in Nehemiah. I love its transparency. I especially love the eight words between the king’s question to Nehemiah and Nehemiah’s answer to the king: “Then I prayed to the God of heaven…” Although I can’t be sure, I really believe Nehemiah’s prayer was something like, “O, God! Here goes! Help me!”

Many times prayer is thought to be like giving a sales pitch to a prospective client who (we assume) has more than enough wherewithal to buy but really needs to be convinced to give it up. So, because we think that way, we think we really need to pour it on thick in order to make our case. God doesn’t need to be convinced – He already knows what we need. God doesn’t need our business plan; He already knows what we’re up to. Sometimes it’s just a simple, quick prayer, O Lord, help me!

That’s not to say we can’t or shouldn’t lay our plans out before God and ask Him for His guidance, blessing, and direction – by all means we should do that; we should ask Him for His wisdom and insight. And we should pray with the understanding that God is present with us and deserves to be a Voice in whatever it is we’re doing or planning to do. We’ll always need God’s help in everything we do. But sometimes it boils down to simply asking, O Lord, help me.

Nehemiah was trying to do the unthinkable: he was asking a king for a leave of absence. I think the king favored Nehemiah and loved being with him. I think Nehemiah loved being with the king. But Nehemiah loved his God and his homeland more. I think Nehemiah thought about going home often. He knew things were happening and wanted to be a part of them; God put those thoughts there. But he had to convince his employer and he knew he’d need God’s help to get that done. I just don’t think he thought it would happen so quickly. But, sometimes, that is how God works.

I know it’s hard for me to think this way, but God uses everything that happens in my life to accomplish His will for me. God uses my victories and challenges to get me to mature in Him and depend on Him more. God desires that I give up every minute fiber of self-sufficiency and lean wholly and solely upon Him for everything in my life. God desires that I be proficient in the bullet-prayers: O Lord, Help me! And God uses all of my circumstances to bring this about in my life. God desires that I realize that my life is His life; and His life is my life. My goal in life is not to learn to depend on God less but to depend on Him more!

That’s how Jesus prayed in the garden: He knew His life was serving a Greater life and He would find every shred of sufficiency in God Alone apart from Himself. That’s what God desires from me and thee. Our lives are not our own and we are on assignment from God to live the life He’s chosen for us and not some version of the American Dream.

So, tomorrow as I head out to work, God, help me. Tomorrow as I drive to my destinations and conversations with people, God, help me. And as I live my life, may my prayer always be: yet not my will, but yours be done. (Luke 22.42)