Are You in a State of Distress?
Being in a state of distress is difficult! Our distresses can be the result of mental suffering caused by grief, anxiety, or unhappiness, hardship or problems seemingly caused by lack; physical pain or discomfort; or great difficulty that needs immediate attention. We often worry that there will be no way out of our problems, and we feel closed in, as our distresses seem to feel like an unending cycle. But at this hard place, we must remember to choose running to God for help! Jesus is the avenue we must travel towards to find some release and rest for our overburdened heart. It’s ironic, but true; Many of us don’t seriously go to God for help until we finally get the picture that we can’t fix the problem on our own. When we finally recognize this and call upon the Lord and cry out to Him, things happen inside our hearts, because prayer changes us. First, our loving heavenly Father hears our cries, just as a loving earthly father would not ignore the cry of his precious child. Next, as we cry out to God with our hearts’ distresses, we release emotional baggage attached to our needs that we carry, as a result of living in this imperfect world. Then, as we continue to work out our distress by expressing our fears, hurt, or anger, to our loving Lord He will take a layer of those negatives and…… if we don’t run away from the place of prayer too fast….. Jesus will give us a glimpse of something wonderful in return: a renewed taste of hope, faith, peace, love, and joy! Whatever state of distress you are in today, don’t give up on God; Call on the Lord….. He will help you… hold you up…. and take you to a place where your heart can find some rest- God’s love will open the way “I cried out to you in my distress, the delivering God, and from your temple-throne You heard my troubled cry. My sobs came right into your heart and you turned your face to rescue me. He took me out of my calamity and chaos and drew me to himself, taken from the depth of my despair”!
“In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple [heavenly dwelling place], and my cry came before Him into His [very] ears” (Psalm 18:6).
