God helps those who help others

https://odb.org/2024/03/21/simply-helping

There is some truth that God helps those who help themselves in the sense that faith and action go hand in hand, or rather faith requires action in order for us to experience the grace and goodness of God. Thus, if we pray for patience, the LORD will likely bring us to situations where we will learn and experience patience. So, if we pray for strength to go through a difficult situation, He will bring us through that situation for us to experience His strength and perhaps His wisdom. Rarely will He miraculously make that situation go away.

But what is perhaps better is that God helps those who help others, especially the weak and oppressed. Why wouldn’t He, when helping the weak and oppressed, has always been His heart’s desire. This is evident from the ancient Isaiah 56:6-7. The LORD questioned the fasting of the Israelites when His desire is to lose the chains of injustice, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and break every yoke. Is it not to share your food with the hungry, to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, and to clothe the naked? Jesus taught the same thing in Matthew 25:35-40.

By now, as a believer of Jesus, it should be second nature for us to help others who are weak, in need, and oppressed. It should be part of our personality and character. We have a very good reason to be like this. This is very close to the heart of God, particularly when the LORD helps those help others. We will never lose out. If we give to help, God will ensure that our lives will always have more than enough. Remember Elijah and the widow at Zarephath with the little flour and olive oil in 1 Kings 17 where she had just enough to prepare the last meal for her and her son? The flour and oil never ran out as she could prepare meals after meals for all 3 of them for a very long time. We may not experience something as dramatic, but the point is that if we were to help others, we would have more than enough to keep on helping.

Remember, God always helps those who help others!