DCLM Daily Manna, Thursday March 31, 2016 by Pastor Kumuyi - An Urgent Plea For Help

Topic: An Urgent Plea For Help [Thursday March 31, 2016]

Text: Psalm 88:1-9

Key Verse: "Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave" (Psalm 88:2, 3).

A Christian called Ivan endured all the horrors of a Soviet prison camp. One day he was praying with his eyes closed when a fellow prisoner noticed him and said with a ridicule, "Prayers won't help you get out of here any faster". Opening his eyes, Ivan answered, "I do not pray to get out of prison but to do the will of God".

The account in our text is about someone in desperate need of help. He addressed his prayers to the "God of my salvation" calling upon Him to deliver him urgently. He described vividly the situation he was in; his soul was full of trouble and his life draws near to the grave. As his condition worsens, his acquaintances were said to have abandoned him thinking the time of his death had arrived. Hern however, continued calling upon God believing that only Him could save him. Although the psalmist did not mention particularly the nature of his affliction, it can be deduced that it must either have been a serious illness or some other grave danger that could lead to death.

From his narrative, he seemed to have believed that his problems were caused by God's wrath which he said was hard upon him. It is likely that, like Job, he was in a situation that overwhelmed him and was therefore, wondering why God hasn't delivered him. We often feel the same way when we pass through similar trials and pains as believers.

We wonder why God would allow his children go through those straits. Under those conditions, we may never find all the answers. But we can trust that for God to allow those trials, there certainly must be a purpose. That doesn't mean we should fold our hands and refuse to pray believing our situation is our fate or destiny. Like the psalmist, we must continue praying to God until He intervenes.

Thought for the day: When other means fail, unceasing prayers will not.

Bible Reading in one Year: John 4–5

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.