God helps those.... not in the bible?

I'm sure you have heard the saying that "God helps those who help themselves" but did you know that phrase is nowhere to be found in the Bible?  I know, I was surprised too!


I recently read that it is probably the most often quoted phrase that is not found in the Bible.   It is usually attributed to Benjamin Franklin as quoted in Poor Richard's Almanac.  But my research shows that it actually originated in a 1698 article about government by Algernon Sydney.  However, a similar thought, although phrased differently, was expressed as early as 350 AD by the Archbishop of Constantinople.


Some Christians have actually made the case that this phrase is contradictory to the teachings in the Bible.  Consider that God helps the helpless as stated in Isaiah 25:4 "For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat..."  

Some say that the Bible does teach this as evidenced by 2 Thessalonians 3:10  "For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat."  

However, much more often, God helps those who cannot help themselves, which is what grace is all about! 

And, of course, what would be the benefit of all this if we didn't have some research statistics, right?  And, remember, I'm just reporting them - not verifying them or proclaiming their validity (because studies show that 97.3% or 88.2% or maybe 61.8% of all statistics are made up!)  But about 53% of Christians believe this saying is actually in the Bible and 82% of teenagers think this is the main theme of the Bible.


Okay, maybe it is not from the Bible but it is worthy of mention, don't you think?  God can make things happen for us but we need to do a little work!  I always remember this anecdote that I read once.  It is about a man that went to heaven and complained because he had always prayed to win the lottery (ask and you shall receive!) and he never won.  God answered, "It was frustrating for me as well.  Why didn't you ever buy a lottery ticket?"


 
I don't believe God is asking us to just sit around and wait for all His blessings to come our way.  I am happier believing that God is asking us to live in his commandments, loving and serving Him and only Him, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and living our lives in His way.  If we do this, than God's blessings are ours to have!  

So go ahead and look for that new job

but remember to ask God to help you! 

Together, you can make make things happen!