There are situations in life that are desperate. Calamities happen to families, cities, and nations. Health crises, wars, earthquakes, floods, deaths, rampant violence, persecution and so many other evils. These situations leave people terrified, afraid, and not knowing what to do.
What the Bible says
In Lamentations, it is told that the few Jews left in Israel lived this way, in the midst of chaos and fear. They were terrified and hopeless, but Jeremiah decided to summon them to cry out to God. It was time to confess their sins to the Most High and ask for help. Righteous they prayed and poured out their hearts before God for his merciful action. (Lam 5.1-22).
In Psalm 51.17 David speaks that God is pleased with a broken spirit and does not despise a repentant heart. In 2 Chronicles 7.14, the Lord appeared to Solomon and told him that if his people would humble themselves, pray, seek and turn from their wicked ways, then he would hear them, forgive them and heal the land.
Psalm 107 tells how God acted on behalf of his people, when in distress, the people cried out to the Lord and he delivered them from their tribulations.
What to do in difficult situations
There are situations that require the outcry of an entire household or an entire church. We cannot expect a whole nation to pray, but we can do our part by taking supplications and cries to the Lord. We also need to be sensitive to the pain of others, sometimes it is not us who are going through a delicate moment, but a friend or even a country that we saw on the news.
We cannot shy away from the pain of another, but rather take the initiative to cry out for that person. There is power in prayer and you can be used as a vessel of blessing in someone else’s life. So many people see their neighbor going through a situation they don’t even understand and decide to give their opinion, and it won’t help at all, but your prayers for your neighbor will make a difference. Remember that prayer demands action!
God bless you!
