You’ve heard the phrase before. Maybe in a courtroom, maybe during an oath of office. With one hand on the Bible and the other raised, the words ring out: So help me God. Pastor Jack Hibbs says that phrase is not just for ceremonies but a reminder of how Christians are to live every day. “It is so help me God get through one day. And that is the power of God that does in fact get us through.”
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Hibbs explained that believers must see themselves as witnesses in every part of life. “How about you and I placing our hand on the Bible and raising our hand to God and say, God, so help me God, please, to walk this walk with you.” He pressed the point that Christians are called to be good witnesses before government, before family, before schools and before those in authority. Authority he reminded, comes from God and is to be honored unless it directly violates His will.
The pastor pointed to Scripture in 1 Corinthians 15:24, noting that one day Christ will abolish all human governments and establish His kingdom. Until then governments are accountable to God for how they wield power. “God will revisit their decision-making process as an authoritative figure that God gave them the authority. He allowed them to have it and they abused it. They did not honor God and they will own that in the end.”
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Hibbs warned that bad leaders may legislate unjust decrees but they are not beyond God’s judgment. Quoting Isaiah 10:1 he said, “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees who write misfortune which they have prescribed.” He made it clear that just because a law passes does not make it righteous in God’s eyes. Christians must resist injustice through godly means such as voting, contacting legislators and refusing to stay silent. “Woe unto us if we don’t speak up.”
The call to courage echoed throughout the message. Hibbs warned against cowardice, pointing to Revelation where cowards are listed at the top of those who face judgment. “Lord, please baptize us in the power of your Holy Spirit. Fill us afresh. And may we fear you and you only and thereby have no fear at all in this world.”
At the heart of the sermon was both a warning and a comfort. Government is designed by God for good but when it goes astray, Christians are to obey God above man. “When the government says for you to do wrong, that’s when you stand up against it,” Hibbs said. The early believers in Acts were told not to preach in the name of Jesus yet they declared, “We’re going to obey God.”
In the end Hibbs reminded that no moment in history is accidental. “God governs in the affairs of man,” Benjamin Franklin once said, and Hibbs repeated it to drive the point home. God’s sovereignty means He is actively shaping the world and has placed His people here for such a time as this. “Your Christian life is not an accident, friend. God has called you to be a Christian at a time like this for a very key purpose.”
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Christians must live with conviction, courage and confidence that God’s hand is guiding history. As Hibbs closed, he prayed that believers would shine brightly in a darkening world. “Until you come for us, may we shine as lights in this ever increasing darkening world. May we speak up. May we pray. May we get involved.”
So help us God.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
