So many times I have heard secular atheists say, “Religion is a crutch for weak people.” This insult is meant to imply that people turn to religion to help them get through the difficulties of life because they are looking for an easy salve to help them deal with their problems. Well, I wholeheartedly agree! Life is hard. We live in a dark world with a lot of evil around us. I know that I am weak and frail and prone to fail again and again no matter how hard I try to make it on my own. Not one person is able to make it on their own. We absolutely need Someone to lean on who will support us in our trials, who will encourage us in our faith, who will help us overcome the temptations of the enemy. We need a Friend who will bind up our wounded souls and coat us with the balm of His presence so we can stand firm in the midst of a crooked and dark generation. We need an Advocate who will guide us in the right paths and pick us up when we fall and defend us before the Judge when we stand accused. We need a Mighty Warrior who will cloth us with His armor and set our feet on a firm foundation so we can withstand the onslaught of the devil’s fiery darts. That Someone is our Lord Yeshua! He is our strong crutch helping us in this life. I love how The Living Bible describes the Lord as our supportive crutch in Philippians 2:12-15:
“Dearest friends, when I was there with you, you were always so careful to follow my instructions. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to do the good things that result from being saved, obeying God with deep reverence, shrinking back from all that might displease Him. For God is at work in you, helping you want to obey Him, and then helping you do what He wants.
Any person who has ever sprained an ankle or broken a leg is pitiful trying to walk. They are weak and cry in pain until they are offered a crutch. That crutch gives them the strength to stand upright and returns their mobility. They are happy to have a crutch to lean on. Can you imagine all the unsaved people of the world trying to hobble through their miserable lives and endure continual agony without a crutch to lean on? Sadly, this is the true case for many people. They don’t even realize that they need help. They are as Revelation 3:17-18 describes, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ [no crutch]—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”
Have you ever been in a dark room when the electricity went off and could not see your hand in front of your face? That is how people who think that ‘religion is a crutch for the weak’ are and they don’t even know it. They are groping around in the darkness of this evil world, searching for some source of light to help them find their way. And if you light a single match in that dark room, all eyes are immediately drawn to that tiny light and are filled with joy to be able to see it. Let’s continue reading in Philippians 2:14-15.
“In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of people who are crooked and stubborn. Shine out among them like beacon lights…”
With the Lord Yeshua as your Helper (crutch), supporting you in doing His will, you can be more than a tiny, flickering flame of a lit match. You can shine brightly like a lighthouse in the night. Your testimony will draw the eyes of those around you to see the True Light, the source of hope that will bring joy to the hearts of those who turn to Him. “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NKJV)
So, be encouraged as you embrace your crutch of faith in your daily walk with the Lord. And “let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” today. (Matthew 5:16)