WHEN WE ARE DISTRESSED AND NEED HELP TO GET RELIEF

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer. 
(Psalm 4:1)

MEDITATION:
With the proliferation of self-help books available, 
it is apparent that many people have many problems.
Offices of psychologists and psychiatrists are busy with folks seeking answers.

We all have those ‘moments’ in life when it feels like the walls are closing 
in, or we feel alone, or we feel the impact of someone’s bitterness, or we 
feel others don’t understand what we are going through, or we feel we are on 
the outside and just don’t fit in, or we feel depressed, or we are distressed 
over the lack of forgiveness from someone, or....

The Psalmist (David) had his own set of ‘moments’.
Some of them were self-imposed, but some were caused by the actions others.
Jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, envy, and many other 
negative emotions can cause some people to unload their wrath on others.
Sometimes their wrath is obvious, but at other times it is passive aggression.

It seems that some thrive on irritating others through needless nitpicking 
and finding fault with even the most insignificant things in their lives. 
That’s not the kind of attitude Jesus promoted to those who belong to Him.
Rather than trying to fix things himself, 
the Psalmist went to the Master Fixer.

He acknowledged that God is righteous and He wants (and knows how), 
to turn unrighteousness into righteousness.
David pleaded with God to hear him as he called out in his distress.
Then he showed humility by asking for God’s mercy 
(which is - God not giving him what he deserved for his disobedience).

ACTION:
Whenever we have problems or distress, we should learn from the Psalmist.
First of all we need to humble ourselves before God.
That means we shouldn’t try to hide or justify our disobedience, 
but honestly admit that we have failed to follow His commands.

Secondly, we need to cry out to God.
It is not a time for formalities or diplomacy, but we should be straightforward, 
and openly cry out as a child would to a parent when he or she is hurting.
We show humility when we tear down the walls that prevent us from admitting 
we have been disobedient, that we are hurting, and that we need God’s help.

Lastly, we need to ask for His mercy 
and be specific about our need for His help.
Sure, God already knows of our distresses, 
but it is good for us to name them.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for always being there to encourage me, 
to lift my spirits, and to rescue me from my distresses. Forgive me 
for the times I have failed to humbly call on You with a childlike 
faith. You are my omnipotent and merciful Father and I am confident 
that You can help me with any, and all problems that either I have 
created for myself, or those that have been created by others. Help 
me to evaluate my own life and honestly admit if I am causing distress 
for others. Teach me how to be encouraging and lift the spirits of 
others. Satan wants to create a negative attitude in me, but I know 
that when the Holy Spirit thrives within me, I can have a more positive 
outlook on everything. Forgive me for the times I have allowed my 
perfectionism to cause me to be judgmental of others.”

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