“In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me…When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you…” Jonah 2:2,7 (NIV)
God is with us all the time, yet it is in the desperate moments when we need help that we often turn to Him. When we’re unable to pay the bills again, or when we’re waiting for the doctor to come in with the test results, or when it’s two in the morning and our child still isn’t home…in these moments it feels natural to fall into God’s love and run to Him in prayer. We call on God in our distress, just like Jonah.
Sometimes we come to God with our joy and thanksgiving, but sometimes our hearts are only truly willing to surrender in moments of great difficulty. God is always with us, yet we are more open to His power and majesty in times of distress. God cares more about our character than our comfort. Perhaps that is why sometimes we receive more than we can handle; that’s how God teaches us to rely on Him instead of ourselves.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for always being with me. I know you walk with me in every moment of my life. When I struggle with the difficulties of life, help me remember to depend on Your presence and strength rather than my own. May I always lean on Your eternal aid instead of the fleeting comforts of this world. Amen.