HELPING GOD
Becoming His Hands and Feet
We are used to hearing about God’s help and asking for it. Every day, we ask for His help with our jobs, our children, our health, our finances, our new projects, our decisions, our concerns and our challenges.
But have you ever thought about helping God?
Yes, you read that right.
I know what you are thinking: God does not need anybody’s help. He is God. He can do whatever He wants.
Yes, He can. He is God, after all—the Creator of heaven and earth. The Bible says, “for all are thy servants” (Psalm 119:91 KJV). Everything serves Him.
But come with me as we explore this thought together: Does God need our help?
They Came to Help the Lord
In Judges 4, God commanded Barak, through the prophet Deborah, to go against Sisera and his army. God promised to deliver Sisera into Barak’s hand.
And God did exactly that.
Sisera’s army was defeated, and Sisera himself eventually fled on foot and ended up in the tent of Jael, a woman who killed him by driving a tent peg through his temple.
After the victory, Deborah and Barak sang a song recorded in Judges 5.
And tucked inside that song is a remarkable statement:
“Curse Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the LORD. ‘Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.”—Judges 5:23 KJV
Read that again.
They did not come to the help of the Lord.
And these are not careless words. Deborah was a prophetess—the Bible specifically introduces her as “Deborah, a prophetess” (Judges 4:4). More importantly, in her song she attributes this particular pronouncement to “the angel of the LORD.” Meroz was cursed because its people “came not to the help of the LORD.”
This tells us something important about how God viewed their failure to support and help accomplish the work He wanted done. There was work to do, and they were expected to show up and help.
The chapter celebrates those who did answer the call. Ephraim came. Benjamin came. Leaders came from Machir. Zebulun came. Issachar came with Deborah and Barak.
But others did not.
Deborah’s song says Reuben lingered among the sheepfolds. Gilead remained beyond Jordan. Dan stayed with his ships. Asher remained by the seashore.
And Meroz received this extraordinary rebuke:
They did not come to help the Lord.
So yes, we can help God.
Not because He cannot do it without us. Jesus Himself said that if His disciples were silent, “the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40). God can accomplish whatever He chooses.
But Deborah’s song shows us something else: when God’s work needs to be done, His people are expected to show up and participate.
The question then becomes: Are you open to being God’s helper, like those who came out and answered the call?
Whom Shall I Send?
If you need any more convincing about whether we can help God, think about Isaiah.
Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying:
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
And Isaiah answered:
“Here am I; send me.”—Isaiah 6:8 KJV
God was looking for someone willing to go.
And Isaiah made himself available.
Here am I. Send me.
That is still a question for us today:
Who will go for us?
So, How Can We Help God?
We often say that we are God’s hands and feet among people. And perhaps this is one way to understand what it means to help God: His work sometimes reaches another person through us.
Helping God does not mean that we have to face a Sisera—the commander of an army. We may never have to confront an army, but there is work all around us that we can help accomplish.
We can bring peace.
We can support someone who is struggling.
We can care for widows and orphans.
We can speak up when someone is being treated unfairly.
We can stand with someone who is being oppressed.
We can encourage someone who has lost hope.
We can refuse to stay silent when we can make a difference.
We can meet a need that is sitting right in front of us.
This is how we work alongside God to accomplish His work. As Paul says, “For we are labourers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV).
And Jesus brought this idea full circle in Matthew 25.
He described a King saying to the righteous:
“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”—Matthew 25:35–36 KJV
The righteous were confused.
When did we do all these things for You?
And the King answered:
“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”—Matthew 25:40 KJV
There it is.
When you help someone, God takes it personally. You are helping Him accomplish His good work.
And sometimes, helping God looks much simpler than we imagine.
It may mean providing support to someone around us who needs help.
Calling someone who is lonely or whom we have not seen in a while.
Contributing to a food bank.
Sending money to a family going through a difficult time.
Paying school fees for a child.
Helping a neighbour.
Supporting a workmate who is struggling.
Checking on someone.
Giving our time.
Opening our home.
Simply noticing a need—and responding to it.
And remember the words of Jesus:
“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Reflection
As you go about your day, ask yourself:
How can I help God today?
How can I help God this week?
What need around me can I meet?
Perhaps there is someone around you waiting for God’s help today.
And perhaps you are the help God is sending.
Sometimes God simply needs someone willing to say:
“Here am I. Send me.”
As Paul prayed, may the Lord give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation and enlighten
the eyes of our understanding, so that we can see what He is doing around us, recognize where He needs our help, and know how we can help advance His work and purposes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Ephesians 1:17–18)
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