"God helps those who help themselves" is apparently the common frequently cited expression that is not seen in the Bible. This saying is normally credited to Ben Franklin, cited in Poor Richard's Almanac in 1757. In reality, it started from Algernon Sydney in 1698 in an editorial named Discourses Concerning Government. Whatever the real origin of this maxim, the Bible explains the contrast. God helps the helpless! Isaiah 25:4 declares, "For You have obtained a protection for the weak, a protection for the poor in his suffering, a shelter from the storm, a shadow from the hotness..." Romans 5:6 tells us, "For while we were still incapable, at the best moment Christ departed for the wicked."