Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
Psalm 79:9
In the time of this pandemic and violence raging, we can be brought very low. Thus, I encourage myself not to look for a lifting up or relief except by God only; therefore, I cry out, “Help us, O Lord.”
Do you ever find yourself trapped in situations that you want to break free from but find yourself unable to do so? Sometimes I do, but this is not the end of my story.
God wants to bring healing to our lives and our land. When we turn to God, he will deliver and forgive us for his name’s sake to move to where God has designed us to be.
If we want God’s healing in our land, we need to cry out to him from our hearts. What is clear is that God is interested in the heart, not superficial action. I, along with you, can receive healing and forgiveness from God for all the things we do wrong – but we need to cry out to God from our hearts. With the pandemic, racism, and all of the killings happening around us, we need the salvation of the Lord.
In such times, when circumstances batter me, when my inner reserves are drying up, we can feel as if life is just too much, and that we are not going to survive all of this.
In such times, like David, I cry out to God for mercy. I call out to God to lead me to a place of safety and security. The rock that is literally “higher than” I am signifies God’s protection and presence.
David cries out to God in Psalm 61 and expresses the desperate prayer of one who senses a great need for God.
Hear our cry O Lord and attend to our prayers! May we press on to you, the God of our salvation, despite the challenges we face today. Amen.
The Rev. Regina D. Goodrich is Pastor, Mediator Lutheran Church, Philadelphia, PA.
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