Meditation

Read Psalm 130:1-6

Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.—Isaiah 55:6 (NRSV)

It can be hard to ask for help, but sometimes we have no choice. One time, my dad decided to repair a bedroom radiator valve by himself. Mum was out shopping, but on her return she heard Dad calling out from the bedroom, “Help! Help!” Dad was kneeling beside the radiator with his thumb pushed hard over the valve to stop the water from spurting out and soaking the bedroom carpet. Dad needed someone to help him and to call a plumber. He couldn’t do it alone; he needed to cry out for help.

God encourages us to call out for help—to cry, shout, or moan. I know that I can be reluctant to ask for the help I need, and my resistance is often self-defeating. But Isaiah 55:6 reminds us to call upon God. God has no conditions or limitations—we can call anytime, anywhere. What is stopping us? God is near, extending an open invitation to us all.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to draw near to you and to trust that you will answer when we call out for help as we pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:9-13, NIV). Amen.

Thought for the day: God hears when I call.

—Hilary Allen, United Kingdom