Whatever help you need, God will answer, just as he’s helping me
By Dean Collins
There’s a pattern to Psalm 107 we might want to remember and use regularly. Four times we find a description of someone or some group in trouble. In all four cases those in need cried out to God for help and he rescued them. Finally, in each situation, the rescued called for everyone to give thanks.
In verses 4-9 the people were lost in the desert and couldn’t find their way out. In 10-16 we find prisoners in chains for bad behavior and forced to hard labor. They were discouraged and had no visible sign of help or rescue. In 17-22 we find folks who are sick. Admittedly some were sick because of their foolishness, while others may simply have found themselves in affliction of some sort; in either case, no help was on the horizon. The last group had a navigation problem and were lost at sea, battered by a storm, and unable to find a way forward.
I suspect we’ve both found ourselves in some version of each scenario, and if not, we one day will. Whether we’re lost, bound in literal prison or the shackles of addiction or circumstances, sick, or shipwrecked, one clear path of release is to cry out to the Lord for help. The psalmist records that in every case God stepped in with arms of love and rescue.
I needed help
Five days ago I was in an accident. It was my fault. I really don’t think I was being careless, but with the sun in my face, I was momentarily blinded and ran a stop sign. I wasn’t going very fast, maybe 35 mph. The car with the right-of-way was maybe going 45 when he swerved, hit his breaks, and slammed into my car. It was a shocking moment. The steering locked and airbags deployed. I gripped the steering wheel with all my might but couldn’t change the outcome. I needed help. While the other driver was more mobile than I was after the accident, I’m sure he needed help as well.
Sometimes we make mistakes that are costly. Sometimes our sins get us in major messes. Sometimes things happen to us and around us that we can’t control. Whatever the situation, we can quickly find ourselves in a desperate need to be rescued.
I did cry out in prayer. I was in pain and in shock and had trouble moving. I could hear the police cars and the ambulance coming. It seemed like a long time but was probably just minutes. I overheard someone describing the accident in the distance. She was correct in her basic summary I recall, but she didn’t know the help we needed. God did. I think I remained calm, but I wasn’t capable of moving. I remember someone lifting the airbag and saying, “Just breathe.” It was good advice.
Over the next 12 hours of waiting on a gurney and then waiting on a bed in a makeshift ER in an overcrowded hospital, I prayed a lot. I asked God to help me, to help the man in the other car, to help the dozens of Covid patients, to help others who had different illnesses and accidents, and to help the overwhelmed medical staff. It seemed that everyone in sight needed help of some kind.
Help came
Help came. And it still comes, but sometimes help and healing take time. There are consequences from illnesses, accidents, lostness, and sin. God always responds, even when we may not realize it in the moment.
In every situation mentioned in Psalm 107, those who were rescued remembered to give thanks and called for all around to give thanks for the goodness and steadfast love of the Lord.
I’ll be okay. I’m mostly a case of bruises and swelling. I have one nondisplaced fracture in my sternum. Everything will heal in time. If you know me, you know I have trouble being still. I suspect I will be learning more about patience and gratitude in the coming weeks.
Whatever situation you find yourself in today, Psalm 107 can help you, too. God hears you when you pray. He will respond by his Spirit and through others around you. Look for both. And when you see God’s hand, make sure you let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Let God hear your prayers of thanksgiving. I bet you will prompt the rest of us to join you in gratitude.
Your time with God’s Word
Psalm 107:1-43 ESV
Photo by Clark Van Der Beken on Unsplash
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