“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me”
(Psalm 50:15).
Trouble can come at us slowly, like a hurricane; or strike suddenly, like a bolt of lightning. Either way, it often brings anguish, pain, and loss. When it hits, we want fast answers and even faster relief. If we are smart, we will try to avoid trouble. We don’t touch bare electrical wires. We don’t drive on the wrong side of the road. Already as a child, we learned not to play with fire. We try to be careful.
But no life is trouble-free. Never has there been such a life! Not even Jesus escaped trouble while on earth. A friend of Job points out, “For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:6,7).
Anyone who has sat around a campfire can understand the picture of those flying sparks. Trouble is only natural. Bad days will come. Some of those days carry the label, “Infamous.” December 7, 1941, was one such day. 9/11 was another. But the day of a doctor’s diagnosis, or of a house fire, or the day a loved one dies—any of these can earn the title, “Day of Trouble.” And one trouble can easily overlap into many days.
Of course, we try to get ourselves out of trouble. We may go to others for help. Sometimes the anguish is so severe that we are willing to go almost anywhere and try almost anything for relief. In desperation, some have even turned to suicide. The Creator and Savior God says, “Turn to me!” A promise comes along with his invitation: “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” He does not say, “I will try…” He does not tell us he hopes he can help. His words are: “I will deliver you.”
It reminds us of the prayer-words, “Deliver us from evil.” We pray those words with confidence
because we know that the powerful love of the Godhead is behind them. What we don’t know—is exactly how he will do it. We want deliverance to be fast. It may not be. We want never to face that trouble again. We may need to. We may pray for strength and guidance to overcome trouble. That prayer will be granted.
There are those who believe we are alone in the universe. We must feel sorry for them. Because they cannot see the Lord of glory and the angels he sends to watch over his people, they do not believe he is there to help.
We do believe. Yet, sometimes it is hard to keep on believing. Sometimes fear overtakes faith. Sometimes we are tempted to give up on God. How sad then! How horrible! He has given his word. He will deliver us in the best possible way and at the best possible time. “And you will honor me,” he says. This is not the request for payment. It’s his promise of our success. The deliverance is certain. The victory will be ours. We will able to say, “Thank you, God!” We will rejoice to tell him, “How great thou art!”
Already now, let us honor him with the words:
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim: “My God, how great thou art!”
Then sings my soul, my Savior-God to thee,
How great thou art! How great thou art!!”
Then sings my soul, my Savior-God to thee,
“How great thou art! How great thou art!” Amen.
Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain
and Liaison to the Military, Cape Coral, Florida
Provided by WELS Ministry to the Military
