Over 7,000 times in the Scripture, God makes promises to us. He is waiting for us to trust Him and He will always prove faithful. Here again is a staggering promise that yields an amazing result.
OUR INSTRUCTION
... is to simply call upon Him when we are in trouble. Notice, it does not say, ""Work your problems out when you're in trouble,"" or ""Do everything you can to fix the problem, then call on me as your last resort."" He simply says to ""call.""
The direction of our prayer is of utmost importance. ""Call UPON ME,"" God instructs. He is waiting to hear your cry when you are in a dilemma, just as much as a loving mother or father longs to hear the cry of their child.
HIS RESPONSE
If we will turn to Him and cry out, He makes a stunning promise--both regarding His response and the result. ""I will rescue you."" How could this be plainer?
He makes no qualifications on the depth of the trouble. It could be a sore back or horrendous financial disaster. Something that comes upon us or that we have brought upon ourselves. The deliverance of the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage (who cried out to Him), or our personal, eternal salvation. Nothing is off limits because nothing is too difficult for the All-Powerful-One. This promise is as true for a nation as it is for the most humble individual.
Meditate on each word and its implications:
I ... It is He alone that will come to our aid; no lesser power than God Himself.
WILL ... It is as sure as God
RESCUE ... He will do everything necessary to perform the needed deliverance
YOU ... It is personal in its promise and application.
THE RESULT
... is paradoxical. God says that our humility and prayer, which opens the way for His promised rescue, actually ""honors"" Him. It gives Him the pathway to show Himself and He is seen for who He is. We praise Him and, as we tell the story, others lift their hearts in adoration also. The more we—and others—see and hear of His deliverance, the more we are awed by His power and overwhelmed by His faithfulness.
Who knew that our broken, humble cry could honor Him so? Only God could orchestrate our lives in such ways that our weakness becomes the avenue to honor Him!
