Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from the children of men. Psalm 12:1
One of the great things about getting to a conference (at least in non-pandemic times) is that we can see a sizable number of Christians together in one place. That is encouraging, because in many of our home Assemblies, we see the numbers slowly dropping as the reality of the ‘two or three’ becomes closer. The gaps in our circles during the Breaking of Bread and during the prayer meetings and Bible studies are getting larger. Is it just our imagination, or are there fewer faithful today than there were a generation – or even a decade – ago? What about the wise old brother or sister that you appreciated being able to chat with about the things of the Lord, are these folks gone now? Sad to say, we are becoming more and more a tinier minority in the world, and our impact is dwindling. No wonder, then, that we are given David’s cry in this verse: Help, Lord!
Our brothers and sisters in Christ are a wonderful support system. Fellowship is critical for our spiritual health. But our numbers will continue to shrink as the world’s apathy level rises and as our Gospel zeal falls. Assemblies will continue to get smaller, in most cases, and we will find it increasingly difficult to find fellow believers with whom to associate and share in the things of Christ. As our ranks become thinner, our need to look to the Lord for help becomes greater.
As the numbers of unsaved attending our Gospel meetings decline, should we consider cancelling the meetings or decreasing their frequency? Heaven forbid! If the number who gather for the weekly prayer meeting and Bible study shrinks to a pitiful handful, should we look for some better way to spend the time? Surely not! In times of dearth and discouragement, God expects us to remain faithful. He also expects us to turn to Him for help to hold onto those precious things He has given us. Just as Peter’s cry of ‘Lord, save me’ was enough to summon the Saviour’s divine hand, so too our cry of ‘Lord, help us’ will produce a divine response.
Remember, we are not left to ourselves. If the ranks of Christians become depleted, cry to the Lord for help, and He will never fail you. -Jim MacIntosh