March 16, 2026 Devo

I was reading a fascinating article from a study done in Britain a few years back. Macmillan Cancer Support, which is one of the largest charities in Britain, set out to answer a question. Why are men so much more reluctant to ask for help from the many services they offer than women? In fact, their studies showed that men were less than half as likely as women to do so.
The study showed what most already suspected. It was pride. Men who were interviewed said that they struggled with what they believed it meant to be a man. A real man “pulls himself up by his own bootstraps.” A real man “shows no fear and sheds no tears.” A real man “toughs it out.” Some of them confessed that though they thought of themselves as strong, independent men, being diagnosed with cancer scared them to the core. But they clung to their pride rather than admit they needed guidance, support, comfort, and assistance. In other words, as ironic as it may sound, they weren’t “man enough” to admit they were in over their heads.
Though men as a whole may be worse at this than women, I don’t think we’ve cornered the market on not asking for help. Especially when it comes to God. Isaiah reminds us today that God “will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.” If that’s true, then why don’t more of us seek Him and cry out to Him, especially when we’ve made a mess of our lives? Well, I think pride factors in here again. We want to believe that we can dig ourselves out of the hole that we’re in, even though we know inside we can’t. But I think there are other reasons as well. I think guilt keeps us from asking for God’s help. We know that WE are the ones who made our mess, and sometimes feel too much shame to ask. Other times, I think we let ourselves believe God doesn’t want to help us—that God somehow gets joy out of our suffering. And then there are those of us who believe that we’re just not worthy of being helped.
But Isaiah reminds us that God is a God of grace and compassion. He will not only hear our cry for help, He will RESPOND to our cry for help. I want to challenge you today to throw aside all of the false thinking that’s made its way into your mind. Real men ask for help. Real women do, too. Don’t let pride, shame, or feelings of unworthiness keep you from receiving the help and healing that God wants to bring. God is there to help you in your struggle. All you have to do is ask for His help. That’s God’s Word for you today.