August 9, 2021
We are taking for our scripture this morning that wonderful verse, Psalm 50:15: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.”
I wonder if you were ever away from home among strangers, and you suddenly found yourself without cash because of some unexpected emergency. I had that experience when I first attended the Southern university far from home, and those about me were all strangers. I got so distressed I couldn’t sleep. I was so frightened.
Suddenly I thought, “I’ll write my father.” True, I should have been more careful and I should have had plenty, but he would understand. What a relief when I made that decision! “I’ll ask my father. He’s helped me many times before and he’ll help me now.”
During the days it took for that letter to reach home and the answer to come back, I had perfect rest and assurance. I had asked for an extra allowance, and I knew it would come. Of course, it did.
Have you ever asked God for an “extra allowance”? That’s what I want to talk to you about. Many of you, like myself, do not now have an earthly father that we can call upon, but we have a heavenly Father who is limitless in power and rich in supply for our every need. I wonder why we hesitate to call on Him.
He knows that we have sudden emergencies we have to meet, situations that we’re not up to in our own strength, and so He has supplied this extra allowance. He says, “Call on me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” We’ve all seen those days; some sudden trouble swooped down upon us and our own strength gave way. Resources failed. We looked all around for help, but there was no way out. But then we looked up and thought of this extra allowance in the day of trouble.
We know what it is to have His help and strength from day to day. We depend on that and are grateful for it. But God is speaking of something beyond that. This is the extra—extra strength when there’s extra weakness, extra wisdom when the need is so great, extra supply when there is extra need, extra grace to bear the extra strain, and extra love to deal with the extra unlovely one.
We turn to our heavenly Father, and just like a loving father, He gives the extra allowance. It’s a special dispensation of what we need in that particular trouble at that particular time.
This time of trouble is also called in God’s Word “the time of need.” God’s Word says, “If your hearts condemn you not, we have boldness to come to the throne of mercy and ask for grace to help in the time of need.”1 If you’re not right with God, your heart condemns you; you just don’t have boldness to call for His help.
You know, the world offers such strange help in the time of trouble, such odd remedies. The other day I heard this over the radio: “Dance your troubles away.” I’d often heard about smiling your troubles away, but that was a new one. “Just keep smiling and smiling,” they sing. But how are you going to smile when you’ve nothing to smile about? And how are you going to dance your troubles away?
Another one tells you, “When in trouble, don’t look down, just keep looking up.” But they don’t tell you what to look up to. I read this one just today: “When in difficulty, look for something pretty every day, and don’t miss a day, or it won’t work.” Well, that’s a pretty little cream puff to lean on when you’re staggering under some great difficulty. Here’s another one: “When in trouble, do something for somebody every day. That’s all there is to it. Just try it, it’ll work.” I believe in doing something for somebody every day, but in the time of deep trouble, that isn’t going to get you out of that trouble.
These are strange anchors for a time of storm. I remember when I was in unbelief and a helpless invalid, someone who had even less faith than I did kept telling me to “hold on, just hold on.” But that’s the trouble; I didn’t have anything to hold on to. What frail anchors the world offers; what frail things to lean on.
But thank God, the Christian doesn’t have just something to hold on to; the Christian has Someone to hold on to! God’s Word says, in Psalm 46:1, “a very present help in time of trouble.” The Lord Jesus Christ is always there, always ready to fulfill His promise. Hebrews 13:5–6 says: “He himself hath said He will in no wise fail thee. Nor will I in any wise forsake thee, so that with good courage we say, the Lord is my helper.”
Oh, do you have an anchor like that in a time of storm? Do you have Someone like that who loves you that you can hold on to, who can deliver you, absolutely deliver you out of your trouble as this verse says?
I was telling a young man the other day, “Son, you’re going to meet the Lord someday; you’d better get on speaking terms with Him.” Then I told him this story:
One day my car stalled on a lonely road. I was quite desperate when suddenly I remembered that not too far away lived a former friend. I said former because I had neglected this friend. I admired and loved her, and really longed to see her and her family, but I couldn’t bring myself to walk up to her door and ask for help in my trouble when I had neglected her for so long. I just sat in the car trying to get up the courage, but I never did go to her house for help.
When you neglect the Lord, neglect reading your Bible, and you don’t take time for prayer, it’s pretty hard to call on Him in the day of trouble.
You’re going to need the Lord someday and need Him desperately. You need to make friends with Him now, get in touch today. You will someday want to write home for the extra allowance. Ask Him right now to forgive your neglect. He will forgive and restore the joy of your salvation.
To that one who is listening and passing through a day of trouble, which is like a night of despair, this verse is for you. Psalm 9:9: “The Lord will be a refuge in the time of trouble.” Won’t you fly to that refuge? Don’t put it off, don’t try to bear your burdens alone. He wants to deliver you in your day of trouble.
I’m going to read a little poem for you, the sweet words of this song for those with aching hearts:
When your heart is aching, turn to Jesus,
He’s the dearest Friend that you can know;
You will find Him standing close beside you,
Waiting peace and comfort to bestow.
(Chorus:)
Heartaches, take them all to Jesus,
Go to Him today,
Do it now without delay.
Heartaches, take them all to Jesus,
He will take your heartaches all away.
There is joy for every troubled sorrow,
Sweet relief for every bitter pain,
Jesus Christ is still the great Physician,
No one ever sought His help in vain.
Jesus understands, whate’er the trouble,
And He waits to heal your wounded soul.
Will you trust His love so strong and tender?
He alone can make your spirit whole.
—A. H. Ackley, 1933
Remember, He’s still on the throne, and prayer changes things.
From a transcript of a Meditation Moments broadcast, adapted. Published on Anchor August 2021. Read by Carol Andrews.
1 1 John 3:21; Hebrews 4:16.
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