Calling on God.
Scripture Reading
Psalm 4:1
‘Hear me when I call O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer’
The dictionary defines distress as a state of extreme anxiety, sorrow or pain; and in this generation with the overload of information, economic tides, family chaos, societal tensions, many of us find ourselves in the state of distress easily.
Some years ago, whenever I would get overwhelmed with anxiety or the stress of life, I would lean towards secular music. I preferred to indulge in sad, sorrowful, emotional music with relatable lyrics just to have some company. It rarely took away the cause of my distress but it relieved me for a while, numbing me to the effect of what the issues were. This is the cycle of escape for many of us. It is easier to slip into these activities, and unfortunately many are vices, which later form addictive habits. One day, the Holy Spirit drew my attention to this Psalm, where the author cried in prayer for God to relieve him of distress.
What struck me was that distress is not uncommon to man. The very nature of the walk of faith demands that we face opposition and persecution. Tis the tragedy of the fallen world, to be buffeted by tribulations and trouble. However, in the psalm, the author chose to call on God instead of relying on his own methods of escape to relieve the distress. It was in his prayer, that he was able to recollect and recount of the Power of God to relieve him of all his trouble. This is true in my own life, where many times, I have dragged myself to church or to my devotional altar, despite the overwhelming distress. And whenever the songs of the Lord were lifted up, or prayer was mounted in the place of fellowship, when the word was shared, I received our relief from the anxieties and cares that were overwhelming me.
Like the psalmists declared, God is the God of our righteousness, and He is ever willing to rescue His people from the distress that bind us, but we must first take the step to come to Him, to call unto Him, to enter His presence, to commune and fellowship with spirit-filled, like-minded believers in His church. It is in our bold step of doing these things that we receive the relief that is due us.
Beloved, when you are overwhelmed by the stresses of life, call upon the Lord, do not try to escape through vices of ungodly music, alcohol, sex, drugs, partying, gluttony, idleness among others, but rather choose to cast those burdens to God in prayer. He is ever faithful to relieve us of all our distress. Amen.
Memory Verse: Psalm 4:1
‘Hear me when I call O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer’