Articles
God Hears You
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!” Psalm 130:1-2
Bailouts. Stimulus plans. Grants. Loan forgiveness. That’s what we keep hearing about these days – but it’s not all we need.
Don’t get me wrong: this is a difficult time for all of us – and in many ways. But no amount of money can make up for the losses we have experienced. No dollar amount can be assigned to the value of time lost with friends and family. No compensation would be adequate to make up for all we have been (and what we WILL GO) through.
The rich man in Luke 12 thought that wealth cured all ills (Luke 12:19). He believed that the more he accumulated, the better off he was. However, the Bible tells us the truth of the matter. He was a fool (Luke 12:20). Wealth couldn’t give him what he really needed. It could not save his soul.
In times such as this, there is only one source of true comfort and help. He is our God. Throughout history, whenever God’s people have cried unto Him for help, He has always answered with exactly what was needed.
In Egypt, God heard the cries of the afflicted Hebrew slaves (Exodus 2:23-25). He sent them Moses, through whom God delivered them from their oppressors. Moses and the people of Israel sang of their deliverance in Exodus 15: “The Lord is my Strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; … Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy” (Exodus 15:2, 6).
The “Reluctant Prophet” Jonah, who ran away from the Lord when he was called to go preach to Nineveh, cried out to the Lord when he was in the belly of the fish. “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice” (Jonah 2:2). In spite of his disobedience, God heard his penitent cries for help, spoke to the fish, and delivered Jonah onto dry land (Jonah 2:10).
Even we, when lost in sin, cried to the Lord. Confessing our sins, we cried to Him; realizing what fate awaited us in our current state (Romans 6:23). The Lord heard us and gave us Jesus (Romans 5:8). He gave us His all-sufficient grace (Ephesians 2:8). Even now, the Hebrew writer implores us to go to Lord for help “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Friends, this trial of COVID-19 is no different than any other that God’s people have faced throughout all of time. It is one for which there is an end. There is a way to navigate through it (John 14:6). And there is a strength to power through it: the strength of God in YOU (Ephesians 3:20-21). If you need help, cry out to the Lord. He will hear you.
