Feeling down? God is attentive to our cries for help
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: By Matt Alexander, pastor of Wick Baptist Church
Fifty-six years ago last Friday, the Beatles' hit single Help! was released in UK. The familiar lyrics still resonate with us today. We live in a time of increasing independence. We don’t like to ask for help, and many of us would happily sing: “I never needed anybody’s help in any way.”
But... over the past year and a half much of our self-assurance has been stripped away, and many of us have realised that we do value having people around us that we can call upon for “Help!”
The chorus goes:
Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won't you please, please help me?
This is an echo of the cry of one of the Bible’s most famous characters. King David, notable for his giant-slaying antics, lived a turbulent life alternating between exultant highs and agonising lows. At one particularly low point, he wrote these poetic words:
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
David directed his cry for “Help!” to God (the Lord) and experienced His salvation. God is just as attentive to our cries for help today as he was for David 3000 years ago.
One of the lamentable effects of the pandemic is a growing mental health crisis when so many people are “feeling down”. If that is your experience, can I encourage you to cry to the Lord for help? If possible, get in touch with a local church – we would be delighted to pray with you.