It’s Finally Friday…and I’m Pastor James St. John.
I grew up in a generation of fabulous advantages and privileges. Believe it or not, some of these advantages and privileges involve who I watched on television as a child. I’m serious and I’m going to name some names in this post. I’m talking about Mr. Rogers, Mr. McFeely, Mayor Maggie, Captain Kangaroo, and Mr. Green Jeans, among others. Some of you remember them…some of you, unfortunately, never had the pleasure of meeting them.
Mr. Rogers was one of my favorites, growing up. I’m not saying I never missed an episode, but I watched him quite often. In a very unassuming way, he was a revolutionary in television. His handling of racial disparity issues, alone, has been praised by many.
His most influential theme, however, has been repeated and shared many times through modern social media. I’ll post a video here for reference.
That last line always grabs me. “If you’ll look for the helpers, you’ll know that there’s hope.”
The helpers…who are they? In the midst of the tragedies and challenges of life, to whom do we turn? Thankfully, as believers, we have an abundance of helpers. Let’s think about it.
The Lord (Yahweh) is our helper.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 28:7 (NRSV)
You may have memorized this verse this way: “The Lord is mine help and my defender.” I love how the psalmist plainly states, “so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks.” There is a confidence here, that we often neglect, in the face of trying circumstances. We must grasp the depth of the grace and mercy of God to sustain us, even through our most difficult days.
The Holy Spirit is our helper.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:26 (ESV)
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Romans 8:26-27 (NRSVUE)
There are times when we will not understand what’s happening in our lives, much less what the Bible tells us to do about it. There are times when we will not have the words to pray or, even, the strength to pray them. Enter, the Holy Spirit. This One, who raised Jesus from the dead, abides within us, as a faithful believer in Jesus. God, the Holy Spirit, has come to gift us, to guide us, to strengthen us, to teach us, and, yes, to pray for us in our times of weakness. Claim, even now, the assurance that can come only through the abiding presence of God, the Holy Spirit, within you.
Fellow believers are our helpers.
34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35 (NRSVUE)
This is a summary statement of many “one another” commands held within the pages of scripture. Our love for one another is placed in relief here, by Jesus, because He understands that every verbal witness of our love for God hinges on how we actually love one another. Every possible claim we make concerning our faith in Jesus is fleshed out in our love for one another. James goes so far as to say, “faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26)
Let’s review.
Without question, the Lord is our helper. We can depend on the Lord. I have no reservations whatsoever declaring, the Holy Spirit is my helper. The Holy Spirit is faithful to be about His work. The question that comes to my mind in all this is: Am I the helper I should be? Are you?