It's good to think more deeply about the mercies of God in times of crisis. To help guide us in this effort, we'll consider Paul David Tripp's collection of meditations from Psalm 27 called "A Shelter in the Time of Storm." You can get your own copy on Amazon here.

Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!

Psalm 27:9

Tripp opens this meditation with the question, "Do you ever feel overwhelmed?" (I laughed) and follows it up with a less common one: "How do you go about assessing your need of help?"

He compares the (many) situations where we do this to that of a toddler trying to assess whether or not they safely make a short journey as they're learning to walk. These self-assessments are a regular part of every-day life. "Can I do this?"

Tripp says that we base our potential on two factors: our track record and the size of the task. These are reasonable but inadequate criteria. With God as our strength we can do all the things he has called us to do. When we face situations where we fear something can't be done, it's most often because either we're trying to do something God hasn't called us to do (like change circumstances instead of our response to them) or we aren't willing to take advantage of the help God may be offering us through other people.

I know that I'm guilty of this personally, but I also can't tell you how many times I see this as a pastor. People have needs that someone (I, the session, others in the congregation) would be eager to meet or help accommodate. Yet they will not ask for help and they will not take it when it's offered. Whether because of pride or shame the result is the same - the task, no matter how important, isn't done.

If we saw all of these people willing to help as divine agents sent by a loving God to administer his help to us in a time of need - would we be willing to accept it then? 

Questions to Consider

The questions are Tripp's. I included my answers in case they're helpful to read.

1. In the busyness of your daily situations and relationships, where do you tend to forget how deep and consistent your need actually is for God's daily help? 

- When things are going according to plan it's easy for me to trust my plans. Until something goes wrong, I don't often enough stop to thank God for his help in bringing those plans to success. 

2. List the ways that God has promised to be your helper.

- He is my sanctifier, helping me overcome internal weakness.

- He is sovereign, able to remove external obstacles.

- He is my strength, through whom I can do all things.

- He is a constant help in times of trouble. He does not leave me.