Cries and answers

I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me;
he freed me from all my fears.
The oppressed look to him and are glad;
they will never be disappointed.
The helpless call to him, and he answers;
he saves them from all their troubles. (verses 4-6)

Read Psalm 34:1-8

It’s part of the experience of being human that we all sometimes feel abandoned. Caught up in illness or mental anguish, we feel alone in the world. Our cries for help seem unheard. There appears to be no answer to human suffering.

The reassuring message we find in God’s word is that he is here, that he loves us, and that he stands beside us in our darkest times. He will not abandon us. He showed his commitment to us by coming in human form among us, by suffering with us and for us, so that we might entertain the hope of one day living in safe and close communion with him forever.

Along with David, who wrote the words of today’s psalm, we praise God for his help and the hope it gives us.

Dear God thank you for being there for us when we cry for help. Hea; us, and answer according to your will and your love for us. Amen.

by Richard Hauser, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)

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