Desperate times call for…what? Prayer?
When life seems out of your control; when circumstances are stacked against you; when misery, distress, trouble and affliction overwhelm—what do you do? The psalm is a litany of dire suffering as when people lost in a desert become hungry and thirsty and their soul faints within. That is one of the episodes of desperation described.
I have experienced trouble and felt desperate, but I can get worked up over problems much less life-threatening than those in this psalm. Maybe it doesn’t matter how intense our despair. When we have done all that we can to find our way out of trouble and still feel trapped, we can turn to God. But must it be our last resort?
Prayer might be a way for God to open our eyes to that one solution we had not considered. It is not magic, but we believe in a God who is present, and prayer is a real way to experience the love of God in real life situations.
God of steadfast love, help me trust that you are here for me and remind me to turn to you in my trouble. Amen. —