Hey, God, I need your help

O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. (Psalm 25:1-3)

If you have ever approached God with a bit of 'hey, God, I need your help' prayers, then you know how it is to feel a bit useless, helpless, and at risk for some reason. There is absolutely no better place to take your 'hey, God, I need your help' issues, for he is the only one capable to meet those needs. No one who trusts in God to help will ever be disappointed, or stand in the midst of the battle disgraced or defeated.

Disgrace might be the loss of respect for some, but it can also be the feeling of shame that comes from doing something we might now find ourselves regretting painfully. God's answer to that feeling of shame is repentance - to turn away from whatever brought those feelings and embrace his grace. There is absolutely no room for shame where grace exists and it exists in the presence of God. The 'hey, God, I need your help' prayer is exactly what begins to bathe us in that grace.

When we feel ashamed or like we aren't exactly 'right' with God or others, we might want to hide from them rather than open up to them. That is never going to begin the work of restoration, though. We need to trust God to hear our cry for help, listen intently to our heart, and then to begin to minister to us exactly as we need in order to be restored to right standing with him and others. Deceive others by covering over your 'wrong actions' that left you feeling a bit 'outside of grace' and you will never be at peace. Bring those actions to God first, then go to the other who you have been trying to deceive by your 'cover-up' God will be there to help because you trusted him to bring grace right there into the midst of that issue. Just saying!