INTRODUCTION

I had a friend who used to utter this well-known phrase often. Every time she would say it, something on the inside of me told me that it wasn't right. One day, the conviction of the Holy Spirit finally got to me and I pulled out my Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and looked up the word "help" and every variation of it. I read every scripture containing the word "help" and its variations and not only did the Bible as a whole refute the phrase, "God helps those who help themselves," it revealed a different message about help entirely.

 

EXAMINING THE LIE

At first glance, the phrase, "God helps those who help themselves" doesn't even make logical sense. If you were capable of helping yourself, why would you need God's help? Perhaps the biblical principle of putting corresponding action to your faith got muddled and distorted over time and led to the phrase in question. Perhaps it was the enemy who purposely did so to make people ineffective in receiving the help from God that they needed. I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

 

EXAMINING THE SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE

Like I mentioned earlier, after being convicted by the Holy Spirit over a period of time concerning the phrase, "God helps those who help themselves," I opened up my "Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible" one day and looked up every scripture that contained the word "help" and every variation of it. Let's examine a few.

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." (Psalm 28:7)

"And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him." (Psalm 37:40)

"O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield." (Psalm 115:9-11)

 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we see from the above scriptures, as well as many others not listed here, that the Bible as a whole not only refutes the phrase, "God helps those who help themselves," it instead reveals a unified message throughout scripture. This unified message is: God helps those who trust in Him.