Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry for help come to you. (Ps. 102:1)
AFTER THE RMS TITANIC hit an iceberg, its radio operators sent continuous distress calls until the captain ordered them to abandon ship. The passengers on deck saw a light in the distance and expected a quick rescue. But although the Californian was less than twenty miles away, it didn’t respond. Its radio officer had turned off his equipment and gone to bed, so he never heard the Titanic‘s call for help.
In today’s Scripture passage, the psalmist sent God an SOS. We don’t know how God answered it, but we can be confident that He did. God always hears our cries for help, and He always responds. He doesn’t always answer the way we want, but He always answers. He may say “yes” or “later” or “I have something better instead.” And with His answer, He also gives us the strength to endure the crisis.
God knows what we need even before we ask Him (Matt. 6:8). Even so, He wants us to bring our requests to Him, approaching His throne in humility and believing that He will answer. As Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
The Titanic relied on other human beings to hear its cry, and they failed. Our God never will.
Thank God for hearing and responding to your cries for help.
Kathryn Page Camp enjoys photography, reading, and sailing Lake Michigan with her husband of thirty-five years.
