And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
God invites people in trouble and adversity to bring their perplexities and needs to Him for help, with the promise that He will rescue them and they will honor Him with thanksgiving and trust. The call is to be prompt as soon as difficulty comes, with sincere, earnest, importunate and persistent prayer that shows strong confidence in Him. He is to be trusted alone for deliverance rather than earthly rulers, human strength and counsel, or healers and mediums outside of faith in Him. His promised rescue does not always mean immediate removal of affliction, but gives comfort and a firm ground for prayer through painful hours, prolonged illness and nights of suffering. Prayer has mighty power that Satan dreads, and Jesus fulfills the promise as deliverer, healing the sick, aiding His people in persecution and danger, and sustaining His workers with strength and peace so their gratitude glorifies Him.
Invitation and Promise Explained
God invites His people to bring Him their perplexities, their necessities, and their need of divine help in the day of trouble and adversity. The call is to be instant in prayer, offering sincere, earnest, importunate petitions as soon as difficulties arise, and to continue in persistent prayer. Such importunate prayer gives evidence of strong confidence in God, and the sense of need that leads to earnest supplication moves the heavenly Father.
The verse sets a threefold pattern: people are to seek and call on God in trouble, He promises to deliver them, and their deliverance is to bring Him glory through thanksgiving, trust, and confidence in Christ's power to save. In times of trial and temptation this calling on God is the way to receive help and endure. The appeal to call stands joined to the duties to thank God and to pay vows made to Him, encouraging faithfulness to vows including the pledge to build a house for God, while dishonesty toward God will be repaid.
The promised deliverance does not necessarily mean immediate removal of affliction. The verse gives comfort, assurance, and grounds for prayer through painful, lonely hours, prolonged illness, and nights of suffering while trusting God's promises. Calling on Him means taking sorrows to Him in prayer by day and night through months of affliction, which reinforces feeble human strength by laying hold on infinite power, gives a solid rock of promise to stand on, removes loneliness from nights of pain, and rests in loving trust that Jesus knows what is best.
Trusting God Alone for Help
The verse bids people in adversity to bring their perplexities, necessities and need of divine help directly to God rather than placing dependence on earthly rulers or judges. It calls them to pray at once with sincere, earnest petitions as soon as difficulties arise, instead of accusing or condemning others or resorting to force to vindicate and deliver themselves. Christ is the pattern here, for He did nothing to vindicate or deliver Himself but committed His case to God.
God waits to be gracious and is near to help and deliver those who call on Him in trouble, and His promises are abundant. People therefore need not depend on human strength, counsel, or fallible people, and deliverance should lead them to honor and glorify Him. To turn to fallible people instead of trusting the God who invites their confidence dishonors Him.
The sick and troubled are to trust the power of the living God and seek help from the Great Physician in faith as the safe Helper, rather than turning to mediums, clairvoyants, magnetic healers, infidel or spiritualist physicians, or any arm of flesh. Physicians without the fear of God before them, whose hearts without divine grace are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, aim at self-aggrandizement and are not to be trusted. To refuse God's invitation and place oneself or a sick child in the hands of Satanic healing agencies repeats the spirit of Ahaziah, who turned from God to a pagan oracle, and dishonors the Source of strength, wisdom and healing.
There is mighty power in prayer, and Satan constantly seeks to keep the troubled soul away from God. An appeal to heaven by the humblest saint is more dreaded by Satan than decrees of cabinets or mandates of kings. Hannah acted on this by bringing her sorrow over reproach and childlessness to the Lord of hosts in silent, wrestling prayer unheard by mortal ear but heard in heaven, pleading earnestly for the blessing of motherhood prized by women of that age, since God alone can carry grief that can be shared with no earthly friend.
Jesus fulfills the promise as Deliverer, telling the trembling poor not to fear, then healing the sick and restoring the suffering and bringing praise, hope, gladness and peace. Israel's rescue from slavery in Egypt is an example of this promise, magnifying His name and standing as a sign of hope to others in similar hardship who trust in God and cry to Him. In times of persecution and opposition Jesus comes to His followers' aid and shelters them under His protection.
God has pledged to help His faithful, believing people, and He invites His workers to trust and call on Him for help. In every circumstance — including sudden danger, grief, care, perplexity, opposition, trial, adversity and temptation — they may find assurance, support and help in His unfailing love and power. He sustains those who trust Him with strength, light, confidence and peace so they can work faithfully, and His help renews strength for the work with gratitude and praise that glorifies Him. This calling on God belongs to a life of prayer set apart from the world by Christlikeness, with unity in God's service and no voices of contention.
In pain, difficulty and distress a person may call on the Lord, who hears prayer and delivers and gives reason to thank and glorify Him. Prayer for relief from severe toothache was thus answered with a peaceful night's sleep prompting praise to God. In the day of trouble and hour of need, especially when strong temptation to sacrifice integrity for money and worldly advantage assails men in business and in the medical profession, calling on Christ brings unfailing help. The door to Christ stands open and no confederacy of evil can shut it, so desires and prayers can reach Him and His grace will shine forth. He will not fail nor forsake those who call, but enable them at any cost to hold fast integrity, remain under the blood-stained banner of Christ, honor their Captain as His soldiers, and take a decided stand against every wrong practice with no excuse for sin or unfaithfulness.
God invites people in trouble and adversity to bring their perplexities and needs to Him for help, with the promise that He will rescue them and they will honor Him with thanksgiving and trust. The call is to be prompt as soon as difficulty comes, with sincere, earnest, importunate and persistent prayer that shows strong confidence in Him. He is to be trusted alone for deliverance rather than earthly rulers, human strength and counsel, or healers and mediums outside of faith in Him. His promised rescue does not always mean immediate removal of affliction, but gives comfort and a firm ground for prayer through painful hours, prolonged illness and nights of suffering. Prayer has mighty power that Satan dreads, and Jesus fulfills the promise as deliverer, healing the sick, aiding His people in persecution and danger, and sustaining His workers with strength and peace so their gratitude glorifies Him.
Invitation and Promise Explained
God invites His people to bring Him their perplexities, their necessities, and their need of divine help in the day of trouble and adversity. The call is to be instant in prayer, offering sincere, earnest, importunate petitions as soon as difficulties arise, and to continue in persistent prayer. Such importunate prayer gives evidence of strong confidence in God, and the sense of need that leads to earnest supplication moves the heavenly Father.
The verse sets a threefold pattern: people are to seek and call on God in trouble, He promises to deliver them, and their deliverance is to bring Him glory through thanksgiving, trust, and confidence in Christ's power to save. In times of trial and temptation this calling on God is the way to receive help and endure. The appeal to call stands joined to the duties to thank God and to pay vows made to Him, encouraging faithfulness to vows including the pledge to build a house for God, while dishonesty toward God will be repaid.
The promised deliverance does not necessarily mean immediate removal of affliction. The verse gives comfort, assurance, and grounds for prayer through painful, lonely hours, prolonged illness, and nights of suffering while trusting God's promises. Calling on Him means taking sorrows to Him in prayer by day and night through months of affliction, which reinforces feeble human strength by laying hold on infinite power, gives a solid rock of promise to stand on, removes loneliness from nights of pain, and rests in loving trust that Jesus knows what is best.
Trusting God Alone for Help
The verse bids people in adversity to bring their perplexities, necessities and need of divine help directly to God rather than placing dependence on earthly rulers or judges. It calls them to pray at once with sincere, earnest petitions as soon as difficulties arise, instead of accusing or condemning others or resorting to force to vindicate and deliver themselves. Christ is the pattern here, for He did nothing to vindicate or deliver Himself but committed His case to God.
God waits to be gracious and is near to help and deliver those who call on Him in trouble, and His promises are abundant. People therefore need not depend on human strength, counsel, or fallible people, and deliverance should lead them to honor and glorify Him. To turn to fallible people instead of trusting the God who invites their confidence dishonors Him.
The sick and troubled are to trust the power of the living God and seek help from the Great Physician in faith as the safe Helper, rather than turning to mediums, clairvoyants, magnetic healers, infidel or spiritualist physicians, or any arm of flesh. Physicians without the fear of God before them, whose hearts without divine grace are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, aim at self-aggrandizement and are not to be trusted. To refuse God's invitation and place oneself or a sick child in the hands of Satanic healing agencies repeats the spirit of Ahaziah, who turned from God to a pagan oracle, and dishonors the Source of strength, wisdom and healing.
There is mighty power in prayer, and Satan constantly seeks to keep the troubled soul away from God. An appeal to heaven by the humblest saint is more dreaded by Satan than decrees of cabinets or mandates of kings. Hannah acted on this by bringing her sorrow over reproach and childlessness to the Lord of hosts in silent, wrestling prayer unheard by mortal ear but heard in heaven, pleading earnestly for the blessing of motherhood prized by women of that age, since God alone can carry grief that can be shared with no earthly friend.
Jesus fulfills the promise as Deliverer, telling the trembling poor not to fear, then healing the sick and restoring the suffering and bringing praise, hope, gladness and peace. Israel's rescue from slavery in Egypt is an example of this promise, magnifying His name and standing as a sign of hope to others in similar hardship who trust in God and cry to Him. In times of persecution and opposition Jesus comes to His followers' aid and shelters them under His protection.
God has pledged to help His faithful, believing people, and He invites His workers to trust and call on Him for help. In every circumstance — including sudden danger, grief, care, perplexity, opposition, trial, adversity and temptation — they may find assurance, support and help in His unfailing love and power. He sustains those who trust Him with strength, light, confidence and peace so they can work faithfully, and His help renews strength for the work with gratitude and praise that glorifies Him. This calling on God belongs to a life of prayer set apart from the world by Christlikeness, with unity in God's service and no voices of contention.
In pain, difficulty and distress a person may call on the Lord, who hears prayer and delivers and gives reason to thank and glorify Him. Prayer for relief from severe toothache was thus answered with a peaceful night's sleep prompting praise to God. In the day of trouble and hour of need, especially when strong temptation to sacrifice integrity for money and worldly advantage assails men in business and in the medical profession, calling on Christ brings unfailing help. The door to Christ stands open and no confederacy of evil can shut it, so desires and prayers can reach Him and His grace will shine forth. He will not fail nor forsake those who call, but enable them at any cost to hold fast integrity, remain under the blood-stained banner of Christ, honor their Captain as His soldiers, and take a decided stand against every wrong practice with no excuse for sin or unfaithfulness.