Scripture affirms that God is not too far to hear or too busy to help
By Dean Collins
When is it more than you can handle?
You have come to the end of your resources and strength. You simply cannot continue on unless someone, some solution, some intervention happens suddenly. The Scriptures are filled with examples of prayers where God was needed not sometime, but now.
Psalm 55 is one example. David does not hold back in describing the situation:
“Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked.”
David needs God to listen, to reveal himself, and to act on his behalf with mercy. He also needs an answer! The situation was so intense David shared rather transparently that it was impacting his mood and possibly his health:
“I am restless…and I moan”
“My heart is in anguish within me”
“The terrors of death have fallen on me”
“Fear and trembling come up on me, and horror overwhelms me”
Sometimes our difficulties are health problems. Sometimes our difficulties cause health problems because of the fatigue and stress that accompany them. And sometimes the difficulties are so overwhelming that we want to run away. In David’s case, he told God, “Oh, that I had the wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” I will admit I have shared David’s feelings many times. Maybe you have felt the same.
It appears that part of David’s current problem was one of betrayal. Someone close to David had turned on him and had been relentless in heaping difficulty and threats to his life and his safety. As much as betrayal or any enemy attack may hurt and bring pain, David models that we do have an action step we can take and a response we can expect.
“But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.“
David’s response was to pray. He fully expected God to save him. And David did not relent in pounding on the doors of Heaven with his petition. I am in such a season as I write these words. I have found that praying many of the verses from the Psalms gives me strength and confidence. And at a practical level, these prayers are battle-tested and reliable!
Sometimes we make the mistake of carrying the weight of the burden by ourselves. I have certainly made that mistake, and I can testify that it costs you time and energy, and will often slow the process of receiving the help you so desperately need. Galatians 6 makes it clear that we are to share our burdens with each other. And David tells us that first we are to share our burden with God himself:
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”
There is no burden too heavy for our God. He is our strength, and he promises to sustain us all the way through our needs.
God, we thank you for the powerful testimony of your written Word and of our spiritual ancestors of faith. Give ear to our prayers today. Do not hide from us in our time of great need. We confess that sometimes the burden is so great we want to run or fly away, but we choose today to plant our feet on the firm foundation of our solid rock, Jesus. We cast all of our burdens at your feet. Give us courage and faith to share our burdens with faithful brothers and sisters who will stand with us in the gap. Though our circumstances may rock the boat, we will keep our eyes on you because we trust you to be faithful in our moment of need. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
Psalm 55 ESV
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
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