‘“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains.’ (Psalm 107:13-14 NLT).
The psalmist gave thanks to God for His deliverance in times of trouble and distress. He praised the Lord for bringing them out of the darkness and gloom of slavery. Perhaps a reference to Israel’s time of being enslaved in Egypt. He gave thanks to God as Deliverer. Yet, what had the people done during their time of trouble? It took a while, but they had finally looked up and cried out the Lord for help. And the Lord heard their cry.
Where do you turn when you’re in trouble? When the darkness of depression or the gloom of grief fall upon you, where do you go? When the chains of addiction or bitterness enslave you and you’ve lost friends and family as a result, where do you turn?
You can cry out to the Lord. This is not bargaining with God. This is not a negotiation of equal parties. No. You cry out to God like a helpless child that has no where else to turn, surrendering completely to Him. And He hears. He answers. He delivers us from trouble.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we rarely cry out to You unless we have exhausted all our means. Forgive us for our stubborn attempts at self-reliance. We are learning to depend on You for even our daily bread. We cry out to You this day for the trouble we see in our nation and our world, in our neighborhoods and in our families. Deliver us O Lord. We cry out to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.