In My Distress

It has been a rough week with my kiddos.  They have been sick, cranky, and tired and I have been running on empty because I’ve been up in the night with them.  Last night things came to a head.  I needed to find the nasal aspirator so I could put Nolan to bed.  I had misplaced.  I prayed.  I asked the Lord to help me.  But I still couldn’t find it.  I felt abandoned.  Why wouldn’t God answer such a little prayer for me?  Why wouldn’t He just help me out so I could put the kids to bed and rest myself?  I started to doubt and to blame God.  Silly, right?  Over a nasal aspirator? 

But I think God was just brining me to the end of myself.  And a few minutes after Nolan was soundly sleeping, I found that silly little object – in the trash can.  Today I read Psalm 18 in my devotions.  And I was struck by verse 6, “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” 

In times of distress we can always call upon the Lord.  And if we are in a right relationship with Him, then we can have confidence that He WILL hear us.  And when we march boldly into His throne room with our request, our distress, our need for assistance, we can find mercy, and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

I’m so glad that I don’t have to solve the problem myself.  I don’t have to stress out finding the answers.  I don’t have to doubt my God and lose faith.  I just have to call, and He will answer.  The rest of Psalm 18 showed me these things about my God…

• He can answer in powerful ways (v.7-16).  He definitely makes His presence known!
• He can deliver me (v.17-19)
• He can reward me for obedience (v.20-24)
• He can save (v.27)
• He can light the darkness (v.28).  Or…He can give me treasures in the darkness (see Isaiah 45:3).  But either way I don’t have to fear when things seem dark.
• He can help me to do what seems impossible (v.29, 34, 37)
• He can strengthen me (v.32)
• He can help me to walk the path He has set before me (v.33, 36).  Just like a mountain goat, He can make my feet narrow enough for the path, or He can widen the way before me so that I can walk in His way.
• He can sustain me, even when I feel weary to the bone (v.30-31, 35)
• He can give the victory (v.38-45)

If my God can do all of these things, then why do I not call unto Him in my distress, so that He will do these things for me?