Looking for Help in All the Wrong Places
“I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1
I like to fix things. Or, at least, I enjoy searching for creative solutions to the myriad of problems that I encounter. When I was in college, I worked a bit of construction on the side. One of the first lessons I learned while working construction was that seldom do things go as planned; a delayed order, a mistake by a subcontractor, inclement weather — construction teaches you the importance of problem-solving.
Daily life is not that different from construction work. Seldom do things go as planned. As a result, much of our time is consumed with trying to fix things — our health, our home, our relationships, our children. And when things don’t need to be fixed, they surely need to be improved. There is always a better diet, exercise routine, parenting tip or management strategy just waiting to be discovered. In our endless search for self-improvement, we become like vagabonds drifting from one self-help technique to the next. Don’t get me wrong, there is great value in trying to become our best self — there is even a Christian warrant for it.
Yet, in our darkest hour of need, much of what the world offers by way of help fails when it is severed from God. This is why I find the words from Psalm 121 both instructive and comforting. The Psalmist asks, “…From where will my help come?” The answer he gives is simple: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” In God alone we find the true source of help. Only He can bring lasting comfort and fulfillment. In a culture that is fixated on self-improvement (and self-help), it is important not to lose sight of this.
Yet, Psalm 121 also reminds us to look to God first (or primarily) for help—to plead with Him through prayer and to rely upon Him whenever we are in need. So, as you begin your day today, would you take a moment to ask God for help? Whatever it is that you need to fix or improve today, remember that ultimately “help comes from the Lord.”
