| God Helps those Who Help Themselves Is this a biblical saying or not? In my youth I was advised on many occasions, “Dick, you know that God helps those who help themselves.” I always interpreted this to mean, “Dick, get to work.” I always followed this teaching, as after all, it was in the Bible. As a good Episcopalian I went to church regularly, and I had a Bible which I occasionally looked at but never really read. However, I knew that the lectionary in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), the official book of worship of the Episcopal Church, identifies the Old Testament, New Testament, Epistle (Letter), and psalm selections for each Sunday’s service and for Holy Days. There is a progression of readings over a three-year cycle throughout each church year. Each year is identified as either A, B, or C. Each new year begins with Advent. During all the church services I attended over these many years, which included many three-year cycles, I do not ever recall the phrase, “God helps those who help themselves,” being read during the service. Cristianity.com explored this question in 2020 with an ARTICLE called, “Why ‘God Helps Those Who Help Themselves’ Is Presumed to Be Biblical.” Given the lectionary does not include everything from the Bible, I did an online search for the phrase. I came upon an article on Wikipedia. This article seems well-documented and hopefully, it is accurate. The first few paragraphs of the article are as follows: The phrase “God helps those who help themselves” is a motto that emphasizes the importance of self-initiative and agency. The expression is still famous around the globe and is used to inspire people for self-help. The phrase originated in ancient Greece and may originally have been proverbial. It is illustrated by two of Aesop’s Fables and a similar sentiment is found in ancient Greek drama. Although it has been commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the modern English wording appears earlier in Algernon Sidney’s work. The phrase is often mistaken as a scriptural quote, though it is not stated verbatim in the Bible. Some Christians have criticized the expression as being contrary to the Bible’s message of God’s grace. (In one poll, noted later in the article, 53% of Americans agreed strongly and 22% agreed somewhat that the phrase was in the Bible.) A variant of the phrase can also be found in the Quran (13:11). The quote from the Quran is as follows: Indeed Allah will not change the conditions of a population until they change what is in themselves. Qur’an 13:11 Many passages from the Bible might support the phrase, God helps those who help themselves. One I think fits best is from Proverbs 12:11, “A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.” Do you know of one that fits? If so, please let me know! Blessings to you all. |
| Come Sunday for the baptisms of Mila and Jonathan! Let’s renew our own baptismal promises, and stand with them and each other as we promise to uphold them and their families in our life in Christ. Worship every Sunday at 10 am In-person and live-streamed |