Lord, You Don’t Seem to Be Helping!

Have you ever read biblical promises such as “The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life” ⁽¹⁾ and wondered what they mean when God’s people still experience illness, suffering, and death? How can we understand such promises in light of our experience, knowing that the Lord is faithful and true?

If we look carefully at the Bible, a pattern emerges. Sometimes God’s help is miraculous and awe-inspiring. He swoops down and rescues us out of a bad situation. Think about the time when Peter was in prison. He’s kept under the watchful eyes of sixteen soldiers and can’t even sleep without being chained to two of them. Suddenly, an angel appears, tells him to get up, and leads him to freedom past slumbering guards and through doors that open by themselves.

But other times, God’s help is less obvious. Let’s look at the Apostle Paul for a moment. The Romans arrested him on false accusations … and he remained in their custody for two years. After appealing to Caesar, he was sent to Rome (surviving a shipwreck along the way!), where he spent another two years under house arrest.

Paul, on the other hand, was arrested after false accusations were made against him and remained in Roman custody in Caesarea for two years. After appealing to Caesar, he was sent to Rome—surviving a shipwreck along the way—and spent another two years there under house arrest.

It might look as if God helped Peter but not Paul. I certainly would much prefer to be in Peter’s shoes, wouldn’t you? Nonetheless, if we read Paul’s letters, it becomes clear that he had no doubts about the Lord’s assistance and protection, even when he sometimes wrote from prison.

God never forgets or abandons his children. He didn’t favor Peter over Paul. The reality is that he sometimes helps by removing us out of a circumstance; other times he helps by giving us the strength to get through a difficult situation. But in both cases, his presence, care, and attention remain the same.

I’ve seen this pattern in my life and the lives of others. For example, the Lord has miraculously saved me from severe car accidents on two occasions (that I know of). Those events are still vivid in my memory. On the other hand, I know people who’ve had terrible crashes that left them in the hospital for months and in rehab for years. Why did God rescue me and not them?

There are many questions to which we’ll never have answers. Yet there are certain truths on which we can stand firm. One of them is the promise that God will never leave nor forsake any of his children. ⁽²⁾ His help, protection, and care are trustworthy. We can be sure that if he doesn’t miraculously intervene to save us from difficulty, he will give us the strength to remain faithful as we go through it.

⁽¹⁾ Psalm 121:7

⁽²⁾ Hebrews 13:5-6