Romans 5:6 & 10 - Powerless, not Helpless

More than once lately, I've been in situations where I've felt woefully inadequate to help a friend in need. There was nothing I could do to reverse unchangeable circumstances, to fix a broken situation, to make things right for them. I've known what it's like to be left without a way out, but they needed more than my empathy.

We don't always feel it, but situations like that remind us that--at the end of the day--we are not only powerless, but utterly helpless. One of my mentors once described it as a "dying experience." Literally or figuratively, we face the limits of our mortality. The good news is this: 

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners... For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son." (Romans 5:6 & 10, New Living Translation)

Jesus endured the helplessness of His own crucifixion so that we wouldn't be left helpless. Our broken world has not yet been restored (Romans 8:21). In the meantime, while I still sense my own powerlessness, I am no longer helpless.

"I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!" Amen (Psalm 121:1–2, NLT)