Oh, help me, my Lord
to do what I must
to step out in faith,
to step out in trust . . .

and . . .

to know You are leading
although I can’t see
for, Lord, I am leaning
on You and not me.

Let’s consider the Biblical basis of these thoughts.

Stanza One:

Oh, help me, my Lord
to do what I must
to step out in faith,
to step out in trust . . .

We all sometimes resist doing what we need to do, whether that is to toss back the covers on Monday morning, greet coworkers with smiles, call for a job interview, or clean breakfast dishes for the thousandth time. Yet, we serve a mighty and a mighty loving God Who is ever present to help us do little as well as big things, all those rare as well as routine “musts” that can so easily render us immobile. We just have to humble ourselves and ask. He is eager to help. Ponder Isaiah 30:18 in the AMPC and see just how eager.

We can say, “Father, I need Your strength. I don’t want to do this but I am going to do this, trusting You for help. I am leaning and relying on You and being confident in You, which is what I know trust means.

Photo by Joan Tran on Unsplash

Stanza Two:
to know You are leading
although I can’t see,
for, Lord, I am leaning
on You and not me.

A prayer for when getting started is hard. Help me, Father, to remind myself that You have prepared this day for me and I can find joy in it. You always help me do whatever You command me to do, so I can choose to be glad and just do the next thing that needs to be done in my life.

Father, I am purposefully obeying Proverbs 3:5-6.  Although I cannot see it, I know You are working in my life, even in this inertia and listlessness.  Lord, I am relying on You and not my own understanding. I do strive, Lord, to act like I know You in everything I do, and this is one part of that. I am confident that You will guide my steps in this task and throughout this day, Father.

Thank You, Lord, for the privilege of being Your child. Thank You for teaching me how to live. Thank You for all the bold promises in Your Word, those bold promises that You are always with us, always leading us, always providing for us as we revere and worship You and wait for You (Psalm 33:18-22, AMPC).

Thank You for Your goodness and mercies and faithfulness. Thank You for Your patience when we fail. Thank You for letting us know that You always remember how frail we are, as You say so clearly in Psalm 103.  I know You will help me abide in the secret place today (Psalm 91). I know You will help me experience real joy. I know You are already giving me Your strength. .

I know when I rely on You, Lord, and not my own self, that is part of being humble. And as Proverbs 25:9 says about You, Father: “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.” (NIV)

A personal note:  Dear friend, I share real-world examples of applying Biblical principles to my daily life, for your encouragement and edification. That includes my many fears, failures and foibles! As believers, God commands us to have fellowship with fellow believers. See Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 John 1:7 and 1 Corinthians 1:9.  Though never a substitute, the written word can provide a supplemental form of fellowship as we share experiences.

So, what sparked the little poem above? This morning, I struggled to break through mental storm clouds of self-focus, frustration, and unfavorable feelings lingering from yesterday. Though I tried earnestly to trust God and keep a good attitude, I gave way to anxiety and irritation yesterday. I felt far from God. Following upon many days of special consciousness of His presence, this was deeply discouraging.

What happened yesterday? I had a cold the day before so still did not feel 100 percent, the directions app on my phone led me in circles for 45 minutes (I presume because of road construction). I arrived two minutes before the doctor’s office would have cancelled my appointment, then I waited a looooong time on the doctor. As I waited, I asked God to forgive me for the bad words that had slipped out in the car, but I was still so agitated when I got back home (after four hours!) that I flopped on the couch and rested, listening to my audible Bible then a book purely for entertainment. I had planned to write and study in the afternoon but that did not happen.

That evening, I felt far from God and angry with myself. Self-critical thoughts kept raining down – your little life does not make any difference, the ways you serve God are pathetic, you will never reach your goals, etc. etc. By grace, I had the presence of mind to deal with the devil as God tells me to.

So, I prayed something like, “Father, I know those thoughts are lies from the enemy of my soul, so I submit to Your guidance and do what Your Word says.” Then I said, “Satan, the Word of God says in James 4:7 that if I submit myself to God and resist you, you must flee. I am resisting you and I command you to flee.” Then, to keep my mind on God, I began speaking some of God’s truths out loud, like Matthew 10:42.

“Jesus. I know You said if we give even a cup of cold water to one of your disciples we will be rewarded. And in Matthew 13, You said the Kingdom of Heaven is like the tiny mustard seed, that grew into the largest plant in the garden. And in Matthew 17, You  said if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains and nothing will be impossible for us. So, the little things I do for the Kingdom are important, they do produce results, eternal results. I know You see and You delight in all the things we do for you, Lord . . . “

I felt much better after that, yet somewhat bruised inside after the long hours of agitation, anger, and frustration. And getting started this morning was a challenge – until I set my mind to forget yesterday and move forward with today.

One thing I’ve learned about my most recent trip around this particular mountain on the path to maturity is not to expect perfection from myself, even and perhaps especially when I have, by grace, broken through to deeper maturity. I do not expect adult behavior from a child. Why should I expect perfect behavior from an imperfect person, i.e., me?  God does not.

The enemy sometimes seeks to stop spiritual progress with the paralysis of self-analysis. The remedy? Remind myself that God delights in me, that He earnestly remembers that we humans are just dust (Psalm 103) and that, as I trust in Him with all my heart, He is directing my steps (Proverbs 3:5-6).

In the light which that blessed truth provides, I can just move forward and do the next thing in the life before me, actively keeping in mind that God is with me, is helping, and will continue helping (Hebrews 13:5b, AMPC).

Photo by Aleksander Korobuczk

The next step principle. The next step principle works in every circumstance for every believer – whether it means getting ready for the day at a challenging job, starting a load of laundry before your toddlers wake up, finishing that quarterly report, or climbing back on that forklift.

In doing the next necessary thing– in the obedience of doing whatever your hand finds to do with all your might and doing it as if for God– you will be blessed. As Deuteronomy 28:1-2 teaches us, obedience brings blessings. As you take the next responsible step in your life, you will find the joy and peace God has lovingly put in your path, as He tells us in Psalm 97:11.

“Light is sown for the [uncompromisingly] righteous and strewn along their pathway, and joy for the upright in heart [the irrepressible joy which comes from consciousness of His favor and protection].”  (AMPC)

Notice that light and joy are prepared ahead of us, along the path. To reach that point in the path and share that light and joy with God and others, we must take that next step and keep moving forward. In His strength, we can do it!  As Paul said, we can do everything, including endure severe hardship, because it is Christ Who gives us strength.

10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me.
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:10-13, NLT)

God’s very little children. Friend, God has carefully prepared this very day for you, yes you! Like a loving mother He has, figuratively speaking, laid out your clothes, fixed you a healthy breakfast, and anticipates walking beside you as you find the good things He has prepared specifically for you.  This day of yours is important to God. He wants you to walk through this day with joy and awareness of His presence and provision.

At our most basic level, we are all God’s very little children. And we can live in the benefits of the Kingdom of God if we come to Him as little children do – humbly, acknowledging our need of Him by our very seeking Him – then yielding to His love, receiving what He offers.  I can only echo Kurt Kaiser’s lyrics: “Oh, how He loves you and me!”

Photo by Mohamad Hamdi