-April 30, 2025-
Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,
“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry entered His ears.”
(2 Samuel 22:7).
David spoke this beautiful psalm of praise to God. Psalm 18 has the same words as 2 Samuel 22. By this time in his life he was old and near death. As we age we tend to appreciate life and the special moments the Lord has given.
David went through many distresses in his life and the Lord saw him through them all. King Saul hunted him and sought to kill him; his son Absalom usurped his kingdom and also sought to kill him.
The word distress is defined as,”Extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain” The key word in this definition is the word extreme. We may feel alone in our trials and afflictions. The word distress, distresses, or distressed are found 80 times in the Scripture.
We have all experienced distress at one time or another in our lives; whether extreme anxiety, extreme sorrow; or extreme pain. Sometimes they all come upon us at the same time. Each of them are hard enough, but when they come as a trilogy—it is really tough. Only the Lord can deliver us from distress and give us sufficient grace to get through these trials.
Jacob was in distress waiting for his brother Esau, who years before threatened to kill him, and had 400 men with him; Job was distressed by great pain and loss. Isaiah and Jeremiah were in distress; Paul experienced distress; even Jesus in His humanity was deeply distressed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Have a blessed day relying on the Lord in times of distress. Dr. David A. Cook used to say, “If you are have a rough day, look up and say Lord Jesus see me through, and He will.” Stay safe and healthy.
Call on the Lord in your distress, He will answer you and give redress.
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 