Calling On God

I will call on God,

and the LORD will rescue me.

Morning, noon, and night

I cry out in my distress,

and the LORD hears my voice.

He ransoms me and keeps me safe

from the battle waged against me,

though many still oppose me.

God, who has ruled forever,

will hear me and humble them.

Psalm 55:16-19

“Help!” Should you hear such a cry, wherever you are, you know that immediate and decisive action is required. The person in distress must be at the end of his or her resources, completely lost unless someone intervenes. For believers, whatever difficulty we encounter, the one to whom we can cry “Help!” is God himself. He always hears, and he is powerful enough to save. David knew this. In trying circumstances, David reminded himself that “the LORD hears my voice” and “ransoms me and keeps me safe.”

The more desperate your situation, the more it makes sense to express your anguish to God, even aloud. Like David, you will find him responsive to your plea.

• I will call on you, God, in my distress . . .