God the Helper

Each day in November, the Everyday Truth blog is looking at a different name for God and providing a family devotional for you to use with your kids. The goal is to keep our hearts focused on giving thanks to God during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.


We all need help sometimes. No one can do everything themselves. When we try to do everything by ourselves, we simply get worn out and frustrated. For example, no matter how tall a chair my youngest daughter stands on, she's not going to be able to reach the top shelf in the cabinets. She needs someone to help her.

Depending on the situation, we need different types of help. Think about it. If you're learning to play a sport you've never played before, you need a coach to help. If you're trying to put together a Lego set, you need the directions. If you're learning to fly a plane, you need a pilot. Help comes in many forms, but the best helper is God.

Let's look at the value of help. Take a big box of Legos or another toy with lots of small pieces. Dump it on the floor. Now, have someone time you while you pick up all the Legos. You have to get every piece back in the box. Give everyone in your family a chance to be timed picking up the Legos. Dump the Legos one more time and have everyone help pick them up. Most likely your time will be much shorter when everyone helps, right?

Normally, picking up those Legos is a tedious chore, and it takes a while to get them all in the box. However, when everyone helps, the chore goes much faster and can be kind of fun. Helpers lighten the load of whatever task we are doing.

The Bible tells us in Psalm 46:1 that God is our help. It says "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." God is always ready to help us. That's what the word ever-present means. He offers us strength, wisdom, love and comfort, depending on the type of help we need.

Sometimes God's help is simply to give us peace in a tough situation. Other times, God sends tangible help in the form of a friend or a parent. And, still other times, God does something amazing like a miracle. No matter the situation, if we ask God for help, He will give it to us. Knowing that makes me thankful that God is an ever-present help.

Take out your thankfulness tree leaves and write ways you are thankful that God helps us. Be specific and be thankful for specific times when you know God helped you. Be thankful for ways that God can help you. Share these with your family and talk about them. End your time together with a prayer thanking God for being your Helper. Have everyone thank God for one way that He has helped them today.