Do You Know Who to Call?

When your in trouble, who you call matters. There are a few phone numbers I keep handy in my contacts for peace of mind. I put them in there just in case I need them. I may have a question or need communicate something important with my bank. I may need to set up an Drs appoiintment or or schedule to have to routine maintenance one of our cars. I may get sick and have to call into work and talk to Cathy, Cheryl, or Melissa to let them know I’m not coming in. I would say one of the numbers I have needed to use the most often is Fred the Fixer’s number, [phone], because that’s who I call when, you guessed it - lock my keys in my car.

I bet we all have those people or businesses that call we upon when we are in the need to take care of something important. Maybe you keep them somewhere else, but you have them, and when you are in a jam you know who to get a hold of to help you out. But have you ever come across a situation, you just know who had to solution to your problem? Perhaps you are like some of the parents trying to help their children out with their schoolwork, and you’re a little intimidated to ask. Or maybe there just isn’t a clear answer that answer to what you have going on. Maybe some of us don’t even know we have anything going on.

Someone who lived a long time ago, had written in the Bible and they described something difficult. Psalm 116 describes the kind of situation they were in. If Psalms sounds like the word “song”, that’s exactly what the Psalms are. It is a book of written lyrics in the Bible. You and I can identify a lot of what is written in there. What is cool about the these songs in the Bible, is that while we don’t necessarily know how they go, we can often picture ourselves in them. Just like you know what it’s like to be a “Bridge over Troubled Water” for someone, or what it feels like to be hyped up, or powerful, or in love, these songs can help us understand what life God is like. So this person says,

  Psalm 116

1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;

he heard my cry for mercy.

2 Because he turned his ear to me,

I will call on him as long as I live.

3 The cords of death entangled me,

the anguish of the grave came over me;

I was overcome by distress and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:

“Lord, save me!”

5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;

our God is full of compassion.

6 The Lord protects the unwary;

when I was brought low, he saved me. 1

1 The New International Version. (2011). (Ps 116). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

This person was obviously in some sort of life or death struggle. Physically they were going to die if something didn’t happen. “They cords of death entangled” them. They were afraid to die. Then they could picture their funeral. The stories others would be sharing at the reception. The tears that would be shed, they described how it anguish, the distress and sorrow, were too much to bear all alone. But they didn’t have to be alone. They had someone in their contact list to call, they said called on the name of the Lord. To call on the name of something was to say they knew who had the expertise they needed. They knew someone who could help because of what God, the Lord had shown them in the past, that he is gracious, righteous and full of compassion. That he protects those that can’t defend themselves. Why? They Psalmist says, “when I was brought low, he saved me”.

Do you know what it feels like to be “brought low? “ To be kicked when you are down? I do. I remember carrying my dad’s base guitar to the train station the night my parents finally separated. I was eight years old. I remember having trouble with math, spelling, and reading after that - that felt pretty low.

But I also know that, “he saved me”. The despite my trials, shielded me from experiencing the full brunt of pain, loneliness, and fear. That he not only gave me a temporary refuge, but a permanent home, where no one leaves or gets left behind.

Each and everyone of us has something. Do you know who to call? According to this you really don’t have to know how to call, you just do call it prayer, this calls it a cry. The important this is that you know that God is here for you and he always will be. No matter what your need is or what kind of trouble you find yourself in. Weather it’s life and death or not. Don’t call in only special circumstances - Jesus says, to cast your cares upon him because he cares for you. Then you can join the lyricsist and say, “I love the Lord, because he turned his ear toward” you, and call on him as long as you live.”