Strength

Strength is Asking For Help

How often do you ask for help?

Verse of the Day

‘At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. ‘

Luke 7:2-3

Today’s Devotional

There are many moments in our lives when we simply cannot fix the problems that are in front of us.  Take the Roman officer in today’s verse.  He was a respected leader in the Roman military.  He likely had many men under his command.  But there was absolutely nothing he could do about the fact that one of his slaves was about to die.

There is strength in asking for help.

So many times in my life I have sat looking at my journal and told God, “I have no idea what to do.  I don’t know how to do this.”  And if I am being honest, it can be easier to admit that to God than it is to admit my lack to another human.

If we look at the Roman officer’s example, there are several things that I notice.  I highly encourage you to read this section of Scripture.  (Luke 7:1-10)  First, the officer did not have all the answers about who Jesus was before he asked for his help. He was just hearing of Jesus, and probably for the first time. But he believed in the possibility of Jesus using His power for his need.  Do we believe that?

I also notice that the officer enlisted the help of some respected Jewish leaders to actually go and ask Jesus for his help.  He was willing to get others involved in his quest for help.  And he chose respected leaders.  Which means that he probably knew these men prior to this situation.  He was involved in his community and knew the people of faith that might be willing to assist him.  Are we involved in our communities?  Do we know the people we can ask for help?

Lastly, there is a sentence spoken by the Roman officer in verse 7 that really stops me in my tracks.  He says to Jesus, “Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.”  This guy had incredible faith in the authority and ability of Jesus. He asks Jesus for help and he has faith that Jesus can and will help him.  I’m going to guess that he also trusts that this help might not look the way he expects it to look.

This study of strength that we have been doing has really challenged my ideas.  I have had to change my mind about what God says about strength.  I have just assumed that the human definitions of strength are the same as Godly strength.  And when I type that, it seems ridiculous.  But the truth is that I never really took the time to think about it.  Strength is strength.  Right?

Wrong.  God seems to want us all to know that He is our source of strength.  And one of the ways God delivers His strength to us is through other people.  And in order to get the help of others, we must be willing to ask for help. Are we willing?

Journal Prompts

Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.

Do you believe in the possibility of Jesus using His power to help you? Give a specific situation.

Who do you know that you can ask for help?

How can you get more involved in a faith community?

How can you declare that you have faith in the authority and ability of Jesus in your life?

Are you willing to ask for help?  With what?  Who will you ask?