“I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
“God helps those who help themselves” is a biblical-sounding aphorism popularized by Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack, first published in 1732. There is much in Franklin’s Almanack I find admirably wise, from exhortations to industry and hard work, frugality and prudent spending, self-improvement and virtue, as well as the value to time. But I have a problem with this maxim being touted by Christians as if it represents the heart of biblical teaching and theology.
“God helps those who help themselves” makes God’s favor sound like a transaction: I allegedly earn a reward through my human efforts, implying that God passively observes to see if I can prove my worth before stepping in, like Zeus on Mount Olympus. This maxim fundamentally contradicts the central biblical teachings concerning God’s grace, mercy, and intervention on behalf of those in need. Exhibit A is the central Old Testament story of the Exodus, in which God delivered the Hebrew slaves from their Egyptian overlords. Exhibit B is the central New Testament story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, by which the powers of evil were defeated and our sins were forgiven. Or as Paul put it, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Not a lot of self-help going on with the liberation of the Hebrew slaves or the salvation of sinners.
If God only helped those who helped themselves, humanity would be hopeless. The biblical witness often portrays God as the ultimate helper of the helpless, though the Proverbs also teach that God rewards the diligent. The Psalms frequently use the Hebrew word for helper, Ezer, to describe God’s character. In Psalm 46, God is revealed as “our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” This theme also echoes powerfully through the Hebrew prophets, who consistently reveal God’s heart for the marginalized. In different centuries, Isaiah and Jeremiah declared that God’s justice and care are specifically directed toward the powerless: the widow, the orphan, the poor, the stranger. God does not demand self-reliance from the broken but does call the powerful to defend the vulnerable, mirroring His own protective nature.
In the Gospels, Jesus didn’t seek out the spiritually self-made, teaching instead that “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” He ministered among tax collectors, sinners, and the desperate. He commended, in the strongest possible terms, caring for “the least of these” (Matthew 25:31-46). Biblical faith invites us to lay down the exhausting burden of self-reliance. God does not demand that we bootstrap our way into his favor. Without devaluing the value of diligence, God invites us to lean into his grace, acknowledging that our deepest help comes not from our own striving, but from the self-emptying love manifested by Jesus on the cross.
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