“God helps only those who help themselves”
– Algernon Sidney
Miracles do not happen if we simply sit back and relax in times of crisis and leave everything else to God. There is a reason why God stuffed our brain with billions of neurons and trillions of synapses. God has already helped you by gifting you this awesome intelligent organ.
The purpose of the brain is to think and help you solve your problems. To worry is to misuse your brain power.
Things may or may not go wrong. But if they do go wrong, then your thinking might help you, but worrying will definitely not. So stop worrying and start thinking.
Miracles do not happen unless you try
Now, may I simply ask you to look back at any one such incident in your life in which you completely panicked. I am sure that all of us would have gone through at least one such incident in our lives. Now have a look back at the outcome of that incident. In all probability, the crisis would certainly have been sorted out with ease or at least without that worst case scenario which you had imagined would be the end result of that crisis.
Thus, it turns out that we unnecessarily get tensed and panic when we face a problem and start imagining all sort of negative outcome to take place, which is completely baseless, as is always proved after the end of the crisis. So, the lesson is don’t panic and don’t worry, instead start thinking about the possible solutions and available options to solve the current crisis.
If you can find a solution, then it is a problem that can be solved. If not, it is not a problem, but reality. Just accept it and move on. There is nothing else you can do about it.
Those who trust in GOD pray to him during a crisis asking their GOD to help them out. Those who understand GOD use their brains given by GOD to help themselves out.
So, is praying to God wrong? Of course, No. There is nothing wrong in praying to GOD. It is not the question of whether GOD exists or not. Instead, it has more to do with your psychological stress. This stress gets eased out when you share it with somebody and GOD is the most IDEAL person to do that.
Happiness increases by sharing, Sadness decreases by sharing
BUT, there are a few who limit all their efforts in solving the crisis only to praying and do nothing else to solve the problem. This will never work out because, GOD helps only those who help themselves. In other words, the divine force is not there to provide you free solutions, but to shed light on the path pointing to the solution, provided you get up and walk, make efforts to try and find a path.
The Story of How God Helps Us
Once there lived in a village a firm believer in GOD, who strongly believed that GOD shall always help him out in times of crisis as he was a staunch devotee. Once it so happened that there were heavy rains and the river on the bank of which the village was situated overflowed and the entire village began to drown in the flood water.
All the villagers now started vacating the village as flood water started flowing into the streets and entering their homes. The neighbour of our devotee who was about to leave his house with his family asked our devotee to join him. But our devotee refused to move out of his house saying that, he believed a lot in GOD and was sure that GOD will never allow him to die in the flood water and would certainly come to save him. The neighbour left the village with his family and so did all other villagers, except our devotee.
Soon, the flood waters entered the ground floor of his house and he was forced to move to the first floor. After a while, a local rescue boat came in search of those who were still trapped inside their houses and on seeing our devotee still inside his house, the flood relief team asked our devotee to join them. Again, our devotee refused to budge. He still believed that GOD would certainly arrive to help him. The rescue boat left the place.
As the water level increased our devotee moved up to the terrace of his house. There he started staring at the skies expecting GOD to arrive any time. As he continued to stare and pray, a rescue helicopter arrived this time and on seeing our devotee standing on the roof top of his house, the man inside the helicopter offered to throw a rope down and rescue the devotee out of the increasing flood waters. Yet, again our devotee refused to give up saying, “GOD shall not let me down”. The helicopter too left the place.
The flood water level just kept increasing till our devotee finally drowned and died. After his death, the devotee went to the GOD and questioned him with anger, “GOD, I believed in you so much. I was your greatest devotee throughout my life. Yet, you did not come to save me during the time of my crisis and today I’m dead. Why did you do this to me?”
“What?”, asked the surprised GOD to the devotee, “How can you say that I didn’t help you, when I indeed did come to your rescue.”
Now is was our devotee’s turn to be surprised. He asked, “When did you come to save me GOD?”.
GOD replied, “First I came to rescue you as your neighbour, but you refused my help. Then again, I came in a boat hoping to pull you out of the flood water, but again you refused my help. Finally, as a last ditch effort I came in a helicopter to save you. Again you refused my help. What else did you expect me to do?”.
Moral of the Story
Do not expect miracles to happen in times of trouble as our devotee did. Instead, use your time and brains to find ways out of the problem. Miracles may or may not happen. But no solution would be possible if you do not try. No solution would be possible if you do not use available opportunities and make best use of them.
God only gives you opportunities. It is you who has to make the best use of them.
Remember, an engineer cannot build a bridge just by praying to God, a surgeon cannot perform surgeries just by praying to God, even you cannot eat your food just by praying to God, you have to lift the food from your plate into your mouth and then chew it and swallow it.
Prayers are meant to seek protection from things that you cannot control. But things that you can do, only should do it. Nobody else will do it for you. Not even God. After all, God has given you all the physical and mental abilities to get things done. Isn’t it? What more help do you need from God?
This clearly explains us that god can arrive in any of the form to help his children when they are in need. But we people are the only fools who don’t believe him in our happiness. We only remember him when we are in awesome trouble.
Its really increasing once believe in the supreme power above us and making us beleive its within and not outside which is driving energy.And certainly will make us overcome if we reallysurender and listten to HIM and pray.