God Helps Those Who Help Themselves?(Spoiler: No, God Doesn’t Say That)From the Series: The Bible Doesn’t Say… By: Pastor Tony Beyer
🧵 Meta-Story: Where This Message Was Born
I didn’t plan to preach this sermon.
It started, honestly, from a conversation in the church parking lot with a visitor—a single mom juggling three jobs—who told me, “Well, I know God helps those who help themselves…” She smiled like it was Scripture. But her eyes said something else: exhaustion, shame, loneliness.
That stuck with me.
So I opened my Bible… and surprise: that phrase? Nowhere in there. What I did find were prayers from the pit, songs from the climb, and a Jesus who doesn’t wait for people to “get it together” before offering mercy.
This blog is a reflection of that sermon. It’s for the ones who are tired, trying, and told their faith depends on their performance.
Let’s begin.
👀 I Lift My Eyes… But I’m Not Sure I Like What I See
“I raise my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from?”
—Psalm 121:1 (CEB)
It’s a beautiful verse, right? It shows up on bookmarks and inspirational memes—but we often miss the raw honesty behind it.
The Psalmist is looking up and saying:
“I don’t know where my help is coming from.”
It’s not a confident declaration. It’s a confession.
And for many of us—especially those taught to stay strong, serve others, and never need anything ourselves—that kind of honesty feels dangerous.
Vulnerability has been mistaken for weakness.
💬 Ask Yourself:
When was the last time you needed help but couldn’t (or wouldn’t) ask?
What stopped you?
🚫 The Lie We’ve Baptized: “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves”
Nope. Not in the Bible. Not even close.
This gem comes from Ben Franklin, not Jesus.
It sounds like wisdom, but it’s really just bootstrap theology in church clothes.
And worse, it shames those who are struggling the most.
This lie says:
If you’re not thriving, maybe it’s your fault.
If you’re still hurting, maybe you’re not “trying hard enough.”
If you’re depressed, grieving, disabled, burnt out—try harder.
But friends, that’s not Gospel. That’s gaslighting.
🧠 Why We Don’t Ask for Help (And Why It’s Not Just You)
We avoid asking for help because of trauma, culture, and bad theology.
Some of us believe:
“Real Christians serve, they don’t need.”
“Men don’t cry.”
“Only ask if it’s an emergency.”
These beliefs aren’t quirks—they’re scars.
They were formed to protect you once. But now? They isolate and wound.
💬 Ask Yourself:
Which of these reasons hit close to home?
What has it cost you to keep pretending you're okay?
⛰ Psalm 121 Is a Protest Song, Not a Motivational Poster
“My help comes from the Lord.” (v. 2)
“God won’t let your foot slip.” (v. 3)
This Psalm wasn’t written from a cozy cabin on top of a mountain. It’s a pilgrimage song—a prayer from someone in the thick of it.
This isn’t prosperity gospel. It’s presence gospel.
God doesn’t reward the strong. God walks with the weary.
If your version of God only works when you’re “winning,”
then maybe what you’re worshipping is a motivational speaker in a divine costume.
🧎 The Real Prayer God Hears: Luke 18:9–14
Jesus tells a story about two people praying.
One man is confident, polished, and proud.
The other stands at a distance, beats his chest, and whispers:
“God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Guess who Jesus says went home justified?
Not the résumé prayer. The raw one. The real one.
💬 Ask Yourself:
Which prayer do you usually pray—the polished one or the desperate one?
What’s the cost of always pretending you’re okay with God?
🌈 When Grace Found Me: A Personal Reflection from a Gay Pastor
I was told for years that God would love me more if I “changed.”
So I tried to fix myself:
More prayers. More fasting. Less of me.
But grace found me not when I succeeded—but when I collapsed.
When I said, “God, I can’t do this anymore. Help.”
And help came—
Not in a vision or voice from heaven,
but through a friend’s text, a therapist’s silence, and a church lady’s casserole I didn’t ask for.
💬 Ask Yourself:
What would it take to believe that God already loves the messy, unfinished version of you?
⚠️ Why “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves” Is Not Just Wrong—It’s Harmful
The Gospel says:
God helps those who can’t help themselves.
God helps the burned out, the lost, the broken-hearted.
Jesus showed up to weep, bleed, touch, hold—not to judge your effort.
🧠 For Your Spirit & Small Group:
What’s one thing—small or large—you wish you could ask for help with today?
Who in your life asks for help well—and lets love in?
What if asking for help became a spiritual discipline in this church?
✝️ Benediction for the Burned Out
If the Gospel you’ve received only works when you're winning—let it go.
If the church told you “prove it” before they told you “you’re loved”—shake the dust.
Hear this truth:
“The Lord will protect you on your journey—
whether going or coming—
from now until forever from now.” (Psalm 121:8)
God isn’t waiting for you to fix yourself.
God shows up when you can’t help yourself at all.
Amen.
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✨ You are loved. Right now. As you are. ✨
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