When in Trouble… by David Jeremiah

Tuesday, September 26

When in Trouble… 

I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. 
Psalm 142:2-3a 

Recommended Reading Psalm 57:1-11

In February 2015, the world was shocked to see video of the wholesale massacre of 21 Coptic Christians by the Islamic State. The Copts would not recant their faith. In the video, the Christian men can be seen praying, on their knees, as they awaited their grisly death. What would it feel like to not only be hunted by one’s enemies but actually captured and threatened with death?

Surely it would be a lonely feeling. But even in the loneliest of moments, there is one who is there: God Himself. The Coptic Christians did exactly what David did when he was pursued by his enemy, King Saul. They, and David, poured their hearts out to God (1 Samuel 22:1; 24:1). We have David’s very words recorded in two psalms he wrote while hiding from Saul in a cave: Psalms 57 and 142. No one has ever prayed more honestly than David. He “pour[ed] out [his] complaint” to God and “declare[d] before Him [his] trouble.” The point is not whether God delivers or not, but whether God is there (Daniel 3:16-18). And He always is.

If you are lonely, remember: You are not alone. Pour out your heart to God and know that He hears.

Days of trouble must be days of prayer. 
Matthew Henry