Friday, November 25, 2011
Psalm 145:18-19 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.
YOUR RELIABLE GOD -- WHEN YOU CALL UPON HIM FOR HELP, HE ANSWERS
We know the value of a good listener and are frustrated with those who are not. Have you ever said to someone close to you, "When did you tell me that?" Maybe you were watching TV or nodding reflexively, but didn't really listen. Other times we might listen intently to what a person says, but then can't do a thing to help him. If someone says to you, "I have heart disease," or "I have a terminal illness," you are very limited in what you can do to help.
There are so many times that I want to help people, but simply cannot. My response might be, "I will pray for you." That might seem like a cop-out, but far from it. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him. To rely on God when we need help is absolutely the best solution. He has demonstrated time and time again in the Scriptures that He can help. In the Scriptures He often used miracles, as with the three men in the fiery furnace. Other times He simply worked through natural means. No matter what route He takes to get to the solution, He has promised to help.
His help is always going to be right on track. When we try to help we might work really hard to solve the wrong problem. I think that we've all done that. We might not see that the solution is that things should remain as they are. The apostle Paul pleaded to God three times that a "thorn in the flesh" might be removed. But God did not do it because He wanted Paul to grow strong in His weakness. Jesus asked for the cup of suffering to be removed, but yet the Father directed Him to the cross in order to fulfill His will.
It isn't that God doesn't hear you. He also will hear their cry and save them. He does listen and He does rescue. He is concerned first and foremost about your ultimate rescue from hell. He knows what the best help will be to strengthen your faith and draw you closer to Him. Know that when you cry out to Him that your eternal rescue has been accomplished in Christ. The very fact that you have a Heavenly Father is proof of that. Jesus opened up this channel of communication through the shedding of His blood. He is your Mediator.
A tremendous burden has been lifted off of us when we know that we can rely on God to answer our cries for help. He has not once failed to hear and rescue.
