Just When I Need Him
Today’s Verse:
Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah. ~Psalm 81:7
Perhaps one of the most comforting thoughts for every Christian is the faithfulness and reliability of God in our life. David said that God’s faithfulness reaches to the clouds and they never fail. Jeremiah said that His faithfulness is great. Isaiah said that faithfulness is the girdle of His loins. Paul simply said, “God is faithful.” John said that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In Psalm 81, we see the faithfulness of God as demonstrated with Israel. It is a reminder to us that in our darkest and most needy hour, God is there when we need Him most.
God was there for them when they were afflicted.
“Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee.” The setting for this was when Israel was under the stress of Egyptian bondage. “And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” The Hebrew word for “trouble” means “under great pressure.” The Egyptians were squeezing the Israelites for everything they could get out of them. It was when they came to the end of themselves that they cried out to God. It was a national prayer. It was a needy prayer. It was when they asked God to help them in their bondage that God heard and remembered them. Affliction is God’s tool to draw us nearer and closer to Him. It compels us to plead for God’s deliverance.
God was there for them when they were affrighted.
“I answered thee in the secret place of thunder….” The people were assembled with Moses at Mt. Sinai. God sent thunders and lightnings to arrest their attention upon Him. The people trembled and were in fear. Fear causes us to see how weak and mortal we are. Fear is God’s tool to show us that we are not in control of things as much as we think we are. Fear leads to faith. Fear makes us teachable so that we listen. God answered them in the secret place of thunder. David said, “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” The thunder at that moment was unique and personal to Israel. Through the thunder and the trumpet, God answered them. He gave them instruction and He made them realize how powerful He is. God will answer you in the secret place of thunder.
God was there for them when they were athirst.
“I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.” It was at Meribah that the people murmured against Moses because they were thirsty. God is faithful to us when we are needy. God is faithful to us when we are nervous. God is faithful to us even when we are negligent. Previous to Meribah, God turned the water of Marah sweet for them. Yet, when they became thirsty again, they murmured, complained, and became scornful. God allows delays, difficulties, and detours into our lives to prove, or test, us. Our reaction during times of testing reveals what is really inside our heart. The real you is what you are under pressure and testing. In spite of their failure to trust God and pray to Him, He gave them copious amounts of water from a rock. Water from the rock is a picture of the water that Jesus gives us when we are thirsty. He is an unending resource that never can run out. You see, just when we need Him, our Lord is there for us. God is faithful!
Have a reliant God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Proverbs 19-21