Day of Praise

Wed, 08/31/16, "Day of Praise"

"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

It's probably a silly question, but I'll ask it anyway. Have you ever felt relieved?

Relieved that a loved one was safe. Relieved that a medical test came back clear. Relieved that you kept your job. Relieved that a burden was removed.

The feeling of relief has got to be on some sort of "Top 10" or at least "Top 50" list.

In today's verse, God inspires the Psalmist to cry out for relief, praying, "Give me relief from my distress."

But what happens when relief doesn't come? What should we do when the prayer isn't answered? When the loved one isn't safe? When the medical test doesn't come back clear? When you didn't keep your job, and you still haven't got the job? When the burden was not removed?

In the Bible, there are lots of cries specifically for "relief," but there are very few promises for "relief."

What actually is in the Bible, related to the word "relief," are calls for courage (as in Esther of the Old Testament) and hope (as in 2 Thessalonians).

The sum of it is this.

When you're longing for relief, first, trust that God is present with you through his word and by his spirit. Trusting in God's presence is a way to tap into his strength and to find courage to carry the burden.

Second, trust that God, who is right now present, is also the God who will come at the right time. Trusting in God's coming is a way both to find strength in the Lord right now and also to find hope that God will come and grant relief.

Today's another workday, a "mini burden." We'd love to have relief. But nothing's going to change all that comes with work.

So let's see today as an opportunity, as a mini burden, as an opportunity to trust that God is present and that God is coming. For when we trust the Lord, we'll find courage for today and hope for what is surely to come, namely, "Relief!"

"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

Praise God!


"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson