"Cry for Help"
Daniel Valles

READ II Chron. 16:12

One of the worst things one can do is not see the Great Physician when they are sick (spiritually and physically). As Christians, we should call out to God when we are in any type of trouble. This devotional (divided across three days) will give you examples of people who called out to God when facing physical and spiritual problems. First of all, there was Jonah. We all know this character for his disobedience to God. Now, his problem was a mixture of both a physical and spiritual problems. Jonah 2:1-2 says, "Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice."

Now Jonah's physical problem was that he was, at that moment, sitting in the belly of a whale (Matt. 12:40). His spiritual problem was that he was running away from God's will (a backslider). So, in verse 1 of chapter 2, he prays to God, tells him why he is praying ("By reason of mine afflictions"), where he was spiritually, and that God heard him. God heard him, and he can hear you... but only if you call out to Him. Asa's mistake was that he didn't call out to God to deliver him... he called out to his physicians.

Jeremiah 17:5 says, "Thus sayeth the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord." Notice, however, that it doesn't tell us that those who trust in man will be cursed, it says that those whose heart departeth from the Lord will be cursed!  Everybody depends on mankind but if we make man our trust instead of God, that's when we get in trouble. When you're sick, the thing you should do is pray to God about it, and then seek medical help. If we trust in man, and only man, it is turning our backs on God. Matthew 11:28 says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." God wants us to call unto Him when we are in trouble,... and when we don' t depend upon Him, it would almost be an insult. We should be depending upon God, not the world.

God can deliver us from our problems, but only if we put out our hand to him. If you read the rest of Jonah chapter two, you will find that God delivered Jonah from both his physical problem, and his spiritual problem. Now that Jonah's problems are covered, let us go onto someone else. Matthew 14:30 says, "But when he saw the winds boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me." In the verse, Peter started to sink, so he called out to God. Christians can follow this in a sense in that if we ever start sinking out of the will of God, we can call out to Christ to deliver us. Now, you will notice that Peter called out to God, not to one of the men in the boat. Peter's problem was one of sinking in the middle of the sea (Matt. 14:2).

Although a spiritual condition can be attributed to this, the main point that I want to use is that Peter was sinking. When he called out, the Lord saved him. It's reassuring to know that God answers our cry for help quickly. Had God waited, Peter might have drowned, or gone to the boat for help (Sort of what Asa did; but this time Peter called out to Christ first). Had he waited, in Jonah's case, Jonah might have been eaten alive. God's timing is always perfect. All we have to do is call out to God to help us.

So far, we have observed people with physical problems and spiritual problems. Now, let's look at someone with just spiritual problems. Psalms 40:1-1 says, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me also out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." Here the Psalmist (David) called upon God to deliver him from a spiritual condition. The miry clay and the horrible pit was a picture of his spiritual condition. Psalms 40:1 shows us that God heard him, and delivered him. Although he doesn't answer right away, God's timing is perfect.

We find evidence that God delivered him in verse 3a. It says, "And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God." God delivered him from his old state of sin (horrible pit, miry clay, etc..) and brought him up (song in my mouth, etc..). While we have looked at people with various spiritual, spiritual and physical problems, now let us look at someone who had physical problems. II Kings 20:1 says, "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live." Reading this, what do you think Hezekiah did? He prayed. Verses two and three tell us, "Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, 0 Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore."

In that verse, Hezekiah called upon the Lord as soon as the prophet was finished talking! He didn't call for his physicians... he didn't call for his advisor... and he didn't set his house in order. With something as serious as being on death's doorstep, he went to the Lord first. And in response to his prayer, God responded. II Kings 20:6 says, "And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria..." Wow! Talk about an answer to prayer! Hezekiah went to the Lord first, and the Lord answered his prayer. As Christians, we too can go to God for help. All we have to do is pray.

So far, we have looked at other people, ...so now, let's look at you. The following has verse that can apply to you. First, where do we go when we are faced with problems? (Spiritual or Physical) Psalms 40:4 says, "Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies." This verse is one of the Bible's many promises to a Christian. It says that those that call out to God will be blessed. Now, to avoid confusion, just because you call out to God doesn't mean that you cannot go to a doctor or such. Christians aren't Jehovah Witnesses! If you pray to God to move a mountain, you can help shovel, too. When the verse talks about turning aside to lies, it is talking about those that give bad advice. (Such as those who tell you prayer isn't necessary, and Jehovah Witnesses who say that major medicine and help isn't necessary).

Now, back to the lesson. The next verses will show us that we can call out to God when we are in physical and spiritual problems. Psalms 18:3 says, "I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies." We can call upon the Lord to help us from our afflictions. Whether it be sickness or pain, we can call upon Christ. Psalms 18:6 says, "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto God." In the verse before this, David described how the sorrows of Hell compassed him. This could be a spiritual depression, afraid of dying, or Satan's forces bothering him. In each case, though, there was a spiritual state that needed help. He called out to God, and the rest of chapter eight gives us the account of how God defeated his enemies and restored David. God did the same for him, and he can do the same for you. The world's ideology teaches that the world has all the answers, and that the world is the only place to go when in need. Psalms 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God." Have you ever noticed that whenever you get in a lot of trouble, the world is the last place that wants to hear your problems. The world trusts in worldly things, when Christians should be trusting only in God. Call unto the Lord and He will deliver thee.