Only A Prayer Away

I had a conversation with my sister this week, and she told me that my son was a hard person to get ahold of. I had to agree with her. Like many parents of adult children, we sometimes have to express to our children that they need to answer us when we call (…and answer us in a timely manner!). We feel that because we raised them and provided for them when they couldn’t do for themselves, we should be afforded the privilege of their response. It’s ironic then, that in contrast, the most powerful force in the universe does hear us when we call and He answers us. In psalm 107:1-9, 39-43, the psalmist tells us that we should give thanks to our God who has been gracious and merciful to us and has redeemed us from the enemy. Like our children we sometimes forget all that our LORD has done for us. My prayer is that this week, as one who has been redeemed you will praise God, give Him thanks and tell someone how good He’s been in answer to your prayers!

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

And gathered out of the lands,

From the east and from the west,

From the north and from the south.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;

They found no city to dwell in.

Hungry and thirsty,

Their soul fainted in them. (Psalm 107:1-5)

The psalmist began by emphatically exhorting the redeemed to give thanks to the LORD for His goodness and His mercy. He further called on those who had been redeemed (bought back for a price) from the enemy to testify to God’s goodness and mercy. God had redeemed His people people from every corner (east, west, north and south), from wandering in desolate places with souls that were at the point of fainting from hunger and thirst. We, like those the psalmist was speaking to, were wandering without direction and in search of a home before God redeemed us. We were hungry, thirsty and in the clutches of the enemy. Then God redeemed us from our desperate circumstances. And for that we should give Him great thanks and tell others about His goodness and mercy. He paid a great price to buy me back from the enemy! And even when I mess up, His mercy never runs out… He’s a God of another chance!

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He delivered them out of their distresses.

And He led them forth by the right way,

That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

For He satisfies the longing soul,

And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm 107:6-9)

The psalmist said that God’s people had been wandering in the desert. They were hungry and thirsty. And in their tired, hungry and thirsty state, they cried out to the LORD. And the LORD delivered them out of their distresses. The psalmist again exhorted everyone to give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, His wonderful works and for satisfying and filling the longing souls of men and women. Just like God was the only one who could respond to Israel’s cry and satisfy their hunger, thirst and desire for a permanent dwelling place, we have a hunger and thirst in our souls that only a relationship with God can fill. And only He can lead us to a permanent dwelling place in heaven. When we cry out to God and He answers our prayers, we must give thanks for His goodness and the great things He has done.

When they are diminished and brought low

Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,

He pours contempt on princes,

And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;

Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,

And makes their families like a flock.

The righteous see it and rejoice,

And all iniquity stops its mouth.

Whoever is wise will observe these things,

And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD. (Psalm 107:39-43)

God causes those in power and position who oppress, afflict and cause sorrow to His people, to themselves be brought low and wander in the wilderness. By contrast He causes His people who have been oppressed and afflicted to be set on high, far above their troubles. Those who love God and His righteousness rejoice in God’s righteous actions, while the sinfulness and injustice are silenced. Wisdom allows us to observe God’s workings on behalf of His people and understand God’s great covenant love for us. I rejoice in the LORD and praise His righteousness, for God sees us and He will act to raise us from our oppression and affliction.

When we think of the opportunity that we have to go to God in prayer and to ask for His intercession in our circumstances, we should be grateful and thankful to God. He alone is the One who has the power to turn our disaster into our victory. And through our witness of Him working in our lives and the lives of others, we can truly rejoice and sing the old refrain “God has been so good I just couldn’t keep it to myself”. You have been redeemed by a loving LORD who wants nothing more than for you to be in a committed relationship with Him. And in that relationship, He wants you to know that you can cry out to Him anytime, in whatever situation you find yourself. For He is the One who hears and answers the prayers of His people. And like so many others who have cried out to Him and been delivered, can testify…He’s only a prayer away!

Blessings,

Rev. Glenn