God Hears Our SOS

 Psalm 118:5,6
I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

In the early 1900’s, the letters SOS were used to signal that someone was in distress or in need of saving. The distress was given out in Morse code and later became the standard signal to let others know that help was needed. Even though the signal has been replaced with other forms of technology, it is still used to communicate that someone is in distress, someone is in trouble and their life is in danger. When we cry out to the Lord in distress, He sees our SOS. Distress is an emotional, social, spiritual, or physical pain or suffering that may cause a person to feel sad, afraid, depressed, anxious, or lonely. Like David, we face situations in our lives that we don’t have control over. We become anxious when we find ourselves without answers to problems that we are not able to solve. The Lord will sometimes let us get to the end of resources, so that we can turn to Him. He is there ready and desiring to answer our distress call. In prayer, we signal to the Lord our SOS, and He is there to meet our every need. We need not fear evil, for He is with us. We need not fear the circumstances that come our way because He knows what we are facing and going through. Distress is a human emotion, but it does not have to rule over us. In times of distress, He can give us peace that passes understanding, and contentment in knowing that the Lord is in control, and He will come to our rescue at the right time.

At Our Wit's End

 Psalm 107:27,28

They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end…Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

My kids grew up with the popular Christian radio show, “The Adventures of Odyssey”. The radio show was designed to nurture children’s imagination and teach children to put their trust in God regardless of what happens in life. Wit’s End was a soda shop owned by Mr. Whittaker, a wise elderly man who had a way of knowing how to solve problems. We sometimes come to our wit’s end and don’t know what to do next. Life takes on a roller coaster of up and down emotions, tossed about in unknown outcomes. We cry out to the Lord in desperation, because He is the one who controls our destiny, and it is at His pleasure we are rescued. Life is like a ship at sea. We don’t always anticipate when the storm will come, but we can stand on God’s promise, that when we are at our wit’s end and distress with life, that He will bring us out of our troubles and calm the waters that trouble us. 

Don't Be Anxious

 Philip 4:6 & 13

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God...I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Impossible! Being anxious is part of human nature, right? The definition of being anxious: worried, concerned, uneasy, apprehensive, fearful, perturbed, troubled, bothered, disturbed, distressed, disquieted, fretful. All of these words describe a person who has forgotten that God is in control, and having such feelings and thoughts will lead to despair. Our human reaction is often displayed in this way. Like temptation, we have a choice to make. Scripture admonishes us to take all our worries and concerns to God in prayer, put our trust in Him, lean not to our own understanding, trust and surrender our lives and situation to Him. We can do this! How? “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”