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What do you do when you feel helpless?
There’s so much happening at all levels of society right now, and at times, it can be challenging to keep your peace of mind and not be troubled, especially when you feel helpless.
It might be something in your personal life, or something on a local, regional, or national level. It could be some of the global conflicts going on right now. It could be something at church or a bunch of governmental policies you are deeply concerned about.
These problems can seem so big, and if you’re not in a position to do anything about them, it’s so easy to feel completely helpless to do anything to solve them.
Now, it’s easy to say: Well, James, we can always pray about this stuff.
Yes that’s true, and I’ve talked to a lot of people who feel helpless and have been praying, but they don’t really know if their prayers are having any effect. In fact, they even feel helpless in their prayers because these problems are so huge.
There is a solution
But I just want to say, that there is a solution. I believe with all my heart that God is still at work in the world. There is something much bigger going on than just the immediate problems that we see in the world.
If you’re feeling helpless in the face of current events and the direction things are going right now, you’re not the first person to ever feel that way.
The Bible is full of people who found themselves in threatening situations of huge proportions and felt completely helpless. But when they, or sometimes just one person, turned to God for help, protection, and guidance, the danger dissolved right under their noses.
Things looked helpless for the Children of Israel
The first situation I’m thinking of is when Moses was at the edge of the Red Sea after he had led the Children of Israel out of Egypt. The Egyptian army was charging toward them and there was no way to escape.
The people – there were probably over a million of them – were terrified. They saw no solution.
No one could have imagined or prayed specifically for the solution that saved the day. All it took was one person, Moses in this case, who turned to God for help, listened to His command, and did what God told him to do, no questions asked.
Moses knew in his heart God would not bring the Children of Israel out of slavery and then abandon them to perish at the hands of the Egyptian army.
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13, 14 NIV
But let’s get real here for a minute. Do you honestly think that Moses telling the people not to be afraid had much effect? There’s no way everyone in that multitude could have heard him anyway.
When you’re in a challenging, harmful, or perhaps life-threatening situation, when someone, even a trusted friend or someone who is very spiritually minded, says, “Don’t be afraid,” does that get rid of 100% of your fear? Probably not.
The unexpected happened
But then something completely unexpected and unprecedented happened. God told Moses,
“Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”
Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. Exodus 14:16, 19-22 NIV
Now, just so you know, many Bible scholars do not believe every bit of this account is literally true, for example how deep the water really was. But the point is God delivered the Israelites that day in a very unexpected way.
When you have been in a situation where it was impossible to go forward and impossible to backward, or any direction without harm to yourself, what have you done? Just like Moses, you probably prayed as you’d never prayed before. You turned to God more earnestly than you ever had before. And you did whatever God told you to do.
What if Moses had not obeyed God? What if he had not held up his rod because he thought people would think it was ridiculous? What if he had talked himself out of holding up his rod because he wondered how on earth could a simple piece of wood have any effect on the Red Sea?
When you feel helpless, you have authority just like Moses
The more I ponder this story, the more I realize it wasn’t some inherent power in the rod of Moses that parted the Red Sea, or later brought water out of the rocks. The rod was a symbol of Moses obeying God. It was a symbol of the authority God had given Moses and that Moses could exercise this authority. His obedience showed his complete trust in God.
What authority has God given you in whatever situation you’re in right now where you feel helpless? You have access to the same power of God that Moses did. You have a relationship with the same God Moses did. You have the same ability to hear and obey God’s voice the way Moses did.
I’ll repeat, all it took was one person to trust and obey God and not be afraid. Will you be that person in the situation that troubles you?
Jehoshaphat and all the people pray
There’s a similar situation in the Old Testament when an invading army was attacking the kingdom of Judah.
In this case it wasn’t just one person who turned to God for deliverance, but all the people. You can read this whole story in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 20.
Some people came and told Jehoshaphat [the King of Judah], “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).
Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him. 2 Chronicles 20:2-4 NIV
Think of the power of these collective prayers. How often do you get together with others to pray collectively about dangers that are quickly coming your way?
The people worship God. Jehoshaphat prays in front of all the people acknowledging God’s power and protection.
Evil forces self-destruct
Then, once more, something unexpected happened.
Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’” 2 Chronicles 20:14-17 NIV
The next morning the king appointed people to walk out in front of the army and sing praises to God as they went out to meet the enemy armies.
There was confusion among these enemy armies and they ended up killing each other.
When evil forces are united against you or what you hold dear, it’s time to sing praises to God, to worship and pray with all your heart individually and collectively. And then listen to and obey what God tells you to do. Even it sounds completely absurd.
What if the people hadn’t believed the words God put in the mouth of Jahaziel? What if they had tried to win the battle with their own military power?
What happens when you and I don’t listen to or obey God, and try to solve our problems without His help?
When you feel helpless it can be a good place to be
When a problem feels so immense that you can’t foresee how it will be solved, and you know there’s nothing you can do about it, this can actually be a very good place to be.
Now you may be thinking, Hey James, wait a minute. How can feeling helpless be a good place to be?
It’s in times like this when you realize the only solution is God.
There have been too many times to count in my life when this has happened to me. Sometimes these situations have not been life-threatening, but some have.
There are times when you realize there’s nothing you can do personally and you’re inspired and know exactly how to pray about it. You turn to God with the authority Moses had and you see God resolve the situation.
But there are also times when a problem is so complex and huge you can’t begin to even imagine how it could possibly be solved. Here’s where fear often takes over.
But when you get to the place where you see no way out and realize you’re completely helpless and there’s nothing you can do personally, this is when you turn to God more earnestly than you ever have before. And as I said, that turning to God is a very good place to be.
One of the beautiful promises in the Bible is that God’s goodness, love, and power will ultimately triumph over all evil forces in this world. It’s important to keep in mind this higher view of evil being defeated.
Jesus never felt helpless
Jesus saw things from this higher perspective. He saw the end game, that God would destroy all evil.
He knew the crucifixion was coming and he knew evil would try to destroy him, and the truth of his message. But he also knew his victory over all evil, the resurrection, was inevitable.
He tried to reassure his disciples he would rise again, but they didn’t understand and couldn’t imagine what he was talking about.
Peter even rebuked Jesus at the mention of his death. But Jesus rebuked Peter in return.
Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Matthew 16:23 NLT
When you feel helpless…
When you look at what’s going on in the world right now, especially all the evil forces bubbling up to the surface, from a human point of view, you will feel helpless. You don’t see anything you can do to solve these problems. They seem too big.
But when you shift your perspective to the way Jesus looked at things, from God’s perspective, you’ll see God at work forcing the evil influences from their hiding places to be destroyed, and you will have the same assurance Jesus did that God is supreme and will be victorious over all evil.
Jesus warned us there would be upheavals in the world.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. Luke 21:25, 26 KJV
Jesus is really saying here that when we’re preoccupied with and absorbed by all the calamities taking place on the earth, our hearts, our ability to love, will falter because we’re so afraid.
Jesus’s higher perspective
Jesus always had his gaze set on heaven, what was taking place in heaven, where God reigns supreme forever and in all ways.
Even though the evil forces of his day – the Pharisees, Herod, and Pilate – united, conspired ,and acquiesced in bringing him to death, Jesus was fearless because he held firmly to the higher perspective of God’s love and supremacy.
But his disciples did not have that higher perspective. Once the Roman soldiers arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and took him away, they felt completely helpless to stop what was going on. They were looking at things from the perspective of what was happening on earth. They couldn’t see that God was actually in complete control.
Just as the Children of Israel believed what they saw with their eyes as the Egyptian army approached, Jesus’s disciples believed what they saw with their eyes, that Jesus had been arrested, crucified, and buried in a tomb.
They thought everything they had put their hope in for the last three years was gone. They felt utterly helpless during the crucifixion to do anything and utterly helpless when Jesus was in the grave.
But God was not helpless. And Jesus knew that all along.
Jesus trusted God completely
In fact, while he was on the cross, he turned to God, perhaps more earnestly than he ever had before, and uttered these words from
Into your hands I commit my spirit; Psalm 31:5 NIV
Now, the rest of the verse, which he did not say out loud but must have been thinking, reads
deliver me, LORD, my faithful God. Psalm 31:5(b) NIV
Jesus had complete conviction God would be faithful and deliver him, restore him to life. He wasn’t trusting in himself, but completely trusting in God.
When I was in an electrical storm
Once I was caught in a fierce electrical storm climbing down a mountain. Lightning bolts were flashing all around. It was a very dangerous situation. But I had been praying all day for the safety of that hike and I felt God’s presence.
I was never afraid even when lightning struck so close I saw a flash right in front of me and felt a tingling all over my body. I felt helpless to stop the storm but nothing could take away my God-given ability to pray with the authority of Christ. Nothing could take away my relationship with God.
Now this may be a small thing compared to what you may be facing or the political battles and actual wars going on right now in the world. But it can be a metaphor for when you are caught in a dangerous situation or an atmosphere of evil thunderbolts. Nothing can separate you from God.
When you feel helpless…you have the spirit of Christ
When you can’t sleep at night, when you feel threatened, when you’re troubled and fearful because of what’s going on in your life or the world, and feel completely helpless, it’s time to turn like Jesus did, to God, completely trusting that God alone can and will bring a healing solution to whatever the situation is.
Keep your eyes focused on God. Hold onto the perspective of what’s going on in heaven. Even if you can’t see or imagine what God’s bigger plan is, you can know that God does have a bigger plan today, just as He did when all seemed lost to Jesus’s followers as he was taken down from the cross.
When you feel helpless, it can actually be the stepping stone to knowing that God is not helpless. It’s an opportunity to turn to God more than you ever have before.
I’ll repeat, when you are in a place where you feel helpless, this is actually a very good place to be because then you have to depend completely on God. But you don’t have to wait until you feel helpless. Jesus said,
I can do nothing on my own. John 5:30 NLT
Not just on the cross, but throughout his entire ministry, he relied completely on God for every detail of what he said and did.
When you have the spirit of Christ within you, which understands you can’t do anything without God’s help, not even walk across the room or complete the simplest task, then you will be able to feel God’s presence with you, no matter how tumultuous or threatening a situation is.
Photo Credit: Maruf Choudhury
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Exodus 14:13, 14 NIV
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.
14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:16, 19-22 NIV
16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,
20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided,
22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
2 Chronicles 20:2-4 NIV
2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat [the King of Judah], “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).
3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
2 Chronicles 20:14-17 NIV
14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.
17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’”
Matthew 16:23 NLT
23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
Luke 21:25, 26 KJV
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Psalm 31:5 NIV
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
Psalm 31:5(b) NIV
5(b) deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.
John 5:30 NLT
30 I can do nothing on my own.
