“Lord, save me!”
–Matthew 14:30
When John Lennon first wrote this, he actually composed it as a slow song. You can picture him, pouring his heart into it, confessing his need for help. However, when you’re in a rock band, sometimes those cries have to be turned into something a little more peppy.
I hope we don’t feel the same way at church.
In light of that, I’d like to address the stigma that might be attached to the word “help.” I don’t want anyone to feel shame when asking for it; the truth is, that’s the trust and dependence we should live in everyday.
It always makes me think of John 21 – Jesus tells Peter, “When you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
As Henri Nouwen points out in In the Name of Jesus, this is a totally different way of understanding spiritual maturity. We think dependence is for little kids – at that age, we go wherever our parents take us, longing for the time when we’ll grow up, get our license and finally feel free to drive anywhere. But Jesus says it’s the exact opposite – he tells Peter that youth is the time he went wherever he wanted, but that old age will be a time of going where he doesn’t want to go. In other words, according to Jesus, spiritual maturity is marked by increasing dependence.
Bottom line: don’t be afraid to ask for help – it’s a word that can become a prayer that ushers you into God’s presence this weekend, when everyone else is focused on independence.
Dave Brubaker is Newsong’s Communications Pastor and movie lover.
