“In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free” (Psalms 118:5 ).
At the height of the HIV pandemic it was common to find households that had lost almost all adult children, as happened to one mother. When I met her this mother who had lost all her five sons had given up on life, and sat all day as still as a cold stone. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Believers in Christ are urged to be “thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” But how do you give praise to God when like this mother you have hit the very bottom? This can be tough!
The Bible has one person who hit the bottom too! When we look at the life of David we might have reason to wonder how he handled it all. In his life King David would experience the dimensions of joy at killing Goliath (1 Samuel 17:51); to crushing grief from enduring a sleuth of tragedies: the loss of a best friend Jonathan in battle (1 Sam 31:2); being pursued and forced into exile by King Saul; the loss of a son ( 2 Samuel 12:19); the loss of a kingdom to a rebellious son, Absalom (2 Sam 15: 1-20), and much more.
For all these tragedies somehow David never lost his trust in God. When he had hit the very bottom, he wrote, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer” (2 Samuel 22:2). Down he looked to God for deliverance: “In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God … He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me” (2 Samuel 22:7).
Any of us may hit the bottom, for such is life! But like David, may we not lose our faith but continue to look up to God for deliverance. “In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free” (Psalms 118:5).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, sometimes we find ourselves at the very bottom, but like your servant David even when down and low, my our faith in you remain steadfast, because you deliver, this I pray in Jesus’s name!
Related upcoming events
-
17/05/2024 - 18/05/2024 All day“And I in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Psalm 17:15)
One of the defining aspects we see in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is that He began the day with prayer. “Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). As he was always surrounded by crowds and after such a busy day before of preaching and engaging the Pharisees in debates this must have been a therapeutic moment for Christ when he would have some good time to himself.
But there was also more. For Jesus being away in a secluded place would also mean a chance to pour out His heart to God, meditate in quietness, plan for the day ahead and listen to the Father. Jesus must have looked up to this moment every day knowing its benefits. Conversations with His Father must have been real and intimate, bringing a certain soothing and uplifting of His spirit. You do not wake up and stick to something on a daily basis that is a drag – this must have been his best time of the day!
Martin Luther the leader of the protestant reformation is reputed to once have said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Here is the point. In the olden days before the arrival of locomotive transport those who were setting out for a long journey on foot had to start early with the first cock crow before the punishing sun came out. One of the things they had to start with also was a good meal, which was fuel needed to give them energy through the long walk to their destiny.
There are no rules about waking up to pray as first thing- or even saying prayer at a defined hour of the day. God is everywhere and ever with us. He is accessible at any time of the day. But there is something special about prioritizing our lives that the first thing we do is to talk to God. Just like the early traveller we need fuel, for the long day ahead!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a joy and privilege to make time at the start of any day, talk and hear from you, for the power I need through the day, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
