One bondage that is extremely detrimental is self-sufficiency. This is often a generational sin passed down and has held many in its grip, chained up. It’s very hard to break, and keeps people in prison for years. Those in slavery to it have a hard time seeing God working, struggle in their relationship with Jesus, and are often stuck in discouragement. Why is this sin especially vicious? Because it puts you on the throne of your heart rather than Jesus. Its dependency is on self rather than on Christ.
Yet, the Bible shows us that one of the best prayers we can pray is the prayer of surrender. “Lord, help!” “Lord, I need you!” The Bible shows us that God works mightily in the “Help me” prayer. Nehemiah… “Lord, I need your help when I present my case before the king.” Jehoshaphat… “Lord, we are powerless to fight against this vast army. We need your help.” Elijah… “Lord, I need Your help to bring fire to this altar so that they will see YOU.” David… “Lord, help me as I face off with my enemies.” Paul… “Lord, help me in my weakness.” Early Christians… “Lord, help us to have boldness.”
The Lord told Paul that HIS strength works best in his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). While Paul wanted the thorn in his flesh gone because it was making him weak, Jesus said that His grace was what Paul really needed. We need God’s strength, not our own. In fact, we will never see God working through us or know Him more until His strength triumphs in our life. And the only way for His strength to be poured out into our lives and into our circumstances is for us to fall before Him, acknowledge our weakness, and ask Him to help us.
I’m not sure what’s going on with you today. Maybe you’re trying to make sense of something, maybe your body is failing, maybe you’re facing a huge giant, maybe you’re hurting, maybe you’re depressed because of a prodigal, maybe you’ve lost faith. Perhaps you want to have a greater impact on others, or you need to forgive, or you feel stuck, or you need discernment. Maybe you’re walking in your own strength. Maybe…. Just maybe… all you need to do is say, “Lord, help me!” Your prayer of surrender may be the very thing that moves the hand of God. Your prayer of surrender may be what gives you victory, releases you from prison, and unveils the power of God.
Here's the thing… we are called sheep for a reason. Sheep were completely dependent on their shepherd… without their shepherd they would easily fall off the cliff, get lost, get eaten by their enemies, or starve to death. We will fare so much better too if we just depend on our Shepherd. Let’s ask God to help us today.