“I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” (Psalm 18:3,6)
Have you ever heard a kitten or a rabbit that was in pain? A rabbit’s scream is a terrible sound. If a rabbit is caught in a bush or a trap, and especially if he is frightened or wounded – or both – he is probably going to scream.
What if you were to hear a call even more desperate than that of a small animal? What if you were to hear a fellow human being call out in distress (in pain or great fear of danger)? Would you answer? What if you were walking along in your neighborhood one day, and what if you were to hear a voice call out, “Help! Somebody – please help!”
Well, you might be afraid! That would be a natural reaction in an emergency. You might feel like there isn’t much you could do – whether you’re limited by your age or size or knowledge or whatever the case may be. But if you heard someone desperate and calling for help, you would probably do everything in your power to try to be of at least a little help! Maybe you could find the nearest phone and call 9-1-1 or some kind of emergency response number. Or maybe you could run to find out what was wrong and see if there is some way to contribute to fixing the problem. It may not be very much, but you would probably do all you could!
There are hundreds of verses in God’s Word that reveal (show) Him to be a God Who comes to the rescue when we call out to Him for help. The marvelous thing about having the God of the universe as our Deliverer is that – unlike well-meaning humans who might respond in an emergency – God has no limitations at all! He is always present and all-knowing – so He knows when we are in trouble, maybe even before we ourselves are aware of the trouble. He is all-powerful, so nothing could possibly keep Him from helping if He wanted to help.
God does want to help. Being our highest Source of comfort and strength and power and mercy brings glory to His name, and He loves to help His people who trust Him. These verses about calling out to God in our distress do not have to do only with physical danger or emergencies that we can see and touch. We should also look to God – first and foremost! – when we find ourselves in spiritual danger!
Are you tempted to sin? Are you losing a battle in submitting your reactions to God and responding rightly to what He is bringing into your life? Are you worried or upset or afraid or confused about what God wants you to do next? If so, good! It’s not good that you are in trouble, but it’s good if that trouble drives you to call out to the best possible Savior and Deliverer you could ever have: God.
More than anyone or anything else, God is able and willing to deliver us out of our troubles.
My Response:
» Am I in some kind of physical trouble right now?
» Am I in some kind of emotional or spiritual trouble right now?
» Am I calling on and trusting in God to help me when I need Him?