God, You have been my helper... (Psalm 29)

God is the ultimate Helper. He alone has the grace to rescue you from you. What does this mean? He gives you power to deal with all the sins of thought and desire that get in the way of you doing what God has called you to do. Not only does he help you with internal weaknesses, he alone is able to remove external obstacles. Because he's our helper, we don't have to place the completion or success of the task on our shoulders. It's not our job to complete the task, it's our job to obey God's call; he will complete the task. I don't have the power to get people to respond. I don't have the power to make situations change. I can't make my husband or wife love me. I can't get my children to believe. I can't force two people to reconcile. I can't make my neighbor be committed to peace. It's not my job to make these things happen. It's my job to respond to the call of God in each of these areas; the hearts of people and the control of situations are in his hands. --Paul Tripp